Descent
by HeavensScribe
Summary: Balthazar never forgot those eyes. The eyes that had haunted him ever since Merlin's death. Her eyes. Balthazar/OC
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**So I'm finally back in the swing of things (Thank god for summer!), so I decided to post this little story a friend (Mew of Fire) and I had been working on last year. The original character, Josselyn, belongs to Mew of Fire and I wrote for Balthazar. I did some editing, so hopefully it flows a bit better than it did originally... ^^; Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Sorcerer's Apprentice, nor do I own Josselyn. Josselyn belongs to Mew of Fire.**

Chapter 1: Prologue

Josselyn frowned as she picked her way through the forest. She loved nature and the sunny weather they were experiencing , but four hours was a bit too much for her. But she knew she needed to find the last herb for the spell she and her master were working on. Speaking of her master, Balthazar was probably wondering what was taking her so long. He wanted to get these protection pouches done before King Arthur and his men took a short tour of the country. Carefully picking up the hem of of her simple emerald dress, Josselyn stepped over another tree root. Her gray speckled eyes scoured the forest floor as she slowly made her way through the intertwining trees. Another strand of auburn hair fell into her face, signaling that her braid was once again falling apart. Josselyn let out a sigh, and wondered if anything was going to work in her favor today.

Just as the thought entered her mind, a flash of white waved at her from the corner of her eye. Josselyn smiled. There was the Angelica. She quickly made her way over to the plant and pulled the flowery herbs out of the ground. With a contented sigh and a slight feeling of accomplishment, she began to make her way back to her horse. As she swung herself up into the saddle of Helios, she thought she saw a shadow move in between the trees. She just shook her head and started up the path toward the castle. The sun was just beginning to set and made a beautiful backdrop as she looked up at the castle. This was home.

Balthazar was in his lab working on an advanced spell that, for some reason, had slipped his notice when he had been training to become Merlin's apprentice. Looking at the spell, it wasn't _that_ difficult to perform, but it required a number of rare materials. He'd sent his assistant, Josselyn, out into the woods to gather the rarest of the herbs he'd need. He couldn't say he was happy that he'd had to send her away, though. She would have been a great help during this particular step in the preparation of the spell.

Josselyn made her way up the stairs quickly, almost knocking into Horvath on her way up. He had flinched at the sight of her, but merely stepped to the side to avoid her. He had been acting strange lately, but then again he had always liked to keep to himself. Josselyn pushed her bangs out of her face once again and opened the door to the lab.

"I apologize for taking so long Balthazar. The Angelica was extremely hard to find this time," she said as she made her way into the room, carefully avoiding the piles of books and artifacts lining the room.

Balthazar sighed in relief when he heard his door open and Josselyn's voice cut through the silence. Against his better judgment, he had started to worry. "No no, that's fine. Just bring it over here. I'll need your help with this next part," he said distractedly, waving her over.

Josselyn made her way over to him, staring curiously at the spell. Stumbling only once over the butt of a spear, she finally made it over to his table.

"What exactly are you working on?" she asked, looking up at Balthazar in a confused manner.

"It's a spell I never fully mastered back when I was in training," he mumbled, slightly embarrassed. When she reached him, he took her hands and placed them on either side of the bowl he was working with. "Hold that in place and make sure it doesn't move. Where are the herbs?" he asked. When she indicated their position to him, he grabbed them and sprinkled them over the solution, then held his hands over the bowl. He murmured a few words, concentrating deeply. The solution started to bubble. Balthazar allowed himself a small self-satisfied smile before returning his full concentration to the spell, trying not to think about the woman whose hands brushed against his sleeves.

A bright flash of light illuminated the room, quickly shrinking to a pinpoint of light in the middle of the solution. Balthazar's hands remained over the solution.

Josselyn watched his face carefully as he focused on the potion in front of him. She liked the focused look he wore on his face and was excited when she saw him smile. Whatever they were working on, it was a success.

"What does the spell do?" she asked quietly, not wanting to break Balthazar's concentration.

"It creates Astrea," Balthazar explained, lifting his hands up slightly. The light remained stationary. "It separates a person from their body. Not a whole lot of research has been done on it for obvious reasons," he admitted. When he was sure the pearl of light wouldn't disappear, he let his hands rest by his sides, indicating that Josselyn could do the same.

Josselyn let her hands fall to her side and stared in wonder at the small bead of light in awe and wonder. She moved around the table, looking at the small floating light from different angles.  
"It can do so much, even though it's so small. That why I love magic so much," Josselyn remarked as she stopped by Balthazar's side.

Balthazar nodded, trying to ignore the proximity of his assistant. He loved Veronica, right? He shouldn't be thinking these things about another woman, but he'd known Josselyn for so long.

He put his hand back over the light, bringing it to the surface and up towards his hand, but not letting it touch his skin. He brought it over to a jar and let it fall inside before closing it, observing the pinprick of light closely. It _was_ amazing what such a tiny thing could do. Briefly he wondered, but all thoughts of it were pushed away when he turned back around to face Josselyn. "I am done for the day. You may take your leave, if you wish," he told her.

"I don't mind staying here and helping put things away," she replied, glancing at the piles of items surrounding them.

"...or," she continued, "I might go and see if Veronica needs any help." She looked over at Balthazar and shrugged.

Balthazar sighed as he said a little too quickly, "Why don't you clear out the bowl?" He wasn't sure why, but he was hesitant to let Veronica and Josselyn be in the same room without him. It was an irrational fear, but a fear nonetheless.

Josselyn looked back at Balthazar and quirked an eyebrow at his sudden suggestion but nodded her agreement nonetheless. She walked over to the bowl and picked it up, carrying it over to the sink. She cleaned it, dried it, and then made her way over to the shelf where they were stored and placed it back in its spot. Josselyn began to pick up random books and set them into neat piles wherever she could find space. After a while, she felt her stomach grumble.

"Do you want me to go get some food from the kitchen?" she asked, knowing Balthazar wouldn't eat unless she brought food for him. For being such a gifted apprentice of Merlin, it was odd to see the simple things he forgot.

"Yes, that would be great," he said absently as he put all of the unused herbs in their proper places. How he could tell they were the right spots was foreign to anyone but him. He had noticed his stomach was gurgling, but it wasn't until she pointed it out that he realized exactly how hungry he had been. "Whatever you can find is fine," he added quickly before she left.

Josselyn nodded to what he said and made her way down to the kitchen quickly. The chef seemed to know that she's be coming because there were two plates set out already and a flask of water. She smiled and thanked the cook before making her way up to the study. She heard someone call her name and turned to see Veronica slowly making her way down the opposite set of stairs.

"He forgot to eat again?" she asked, motioning to the plates in Josselyn's hands.

"Yes. He may be able to do amazing spells and quote ancient texts, but he always forgets to eat," she replied, smiling at the woman. "How have you been? I had heard you weren't feeling well because of a misused spell from one of the novices," Josselyn asked. Veronica smiled and shook her head.

"I'm better now. Thank you for asking. But I won't hold you up any more," she said and then continued on her path toward the dining room. Josselyn continued up the stairs and slowly made her way into the room, balancing both dishes while avoiding the piles of books.

"Balthazar? I really think your next project should be creating a system of storing all these objects in," she said, calling out to him. Josselyn bit her lip as she stubbed her toe on an ancient Roman shield and carefully set down the plates before slowing rolling the heavy shield so it couldn't attack any more toes.

"'I'll consider it," Balthazar joked, a small smirk alighting on his face as he turned around and walked toward the plates, picking one up and beginning to eat. "That was awfully quick. Did he have the plates waiting for you again?" he asked. His forgetting to eat had become so routine that the chef was able to make food just as Josselyn came to retrieve it. Tonight, he did not disappoint; the food was still warm.

Josselyn nodded in reply, having already taken a bite of her food. After swallowing and taking a quick drink of water, she replied.

"Yes, as usual, the plates were already set out. I also happened to bump into Veronica on the stairs. She's feeling much better now after that spell mishap earlier in the week," she informed Balthazar, watching as he ate his food before taking another spoonful of her own.

Balthazar stiffened a little bit, but quickly hid it. "Yes, she told me she was feeling better. It's good that she's up and around again," he replied, eating his own food absently. There was a distinct silence that followed, whether from eating or the subject of discussion was unclear. Balthazar cleared his throat at one point just to break the silence as he set his empty plate down a few minutes later. "I'm going to retire for the night, Josselyn. I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

Josselyn looked up at Balthazar has he began to make his way out of the room.

"Goodnight Balthazar. I'll see you tomorrow morning then," she replied. She quickly gathered up the plates and made her way down into the kitchen and deposited them in the sink. After that she quickly made her way up the back stairs. Though she'd never admit it, the shadows the torches made in the night startled her a bit. As she turned down the corridor that led to her room, she heard whispering coming from Horvath's room. She looked curiously at the door for a few moments and tried to hear snippets of the conversation. As soon as the whispers started, however, they ended and Josselyn backed away from the door. She didn't want to seem like she was eavesdropping. She made her way into her chambers and settled herself down for the night. She quickly exchanged her green dress for a soft, white night gown and curled up under the sheets of her bed. She wondered what tomorrow would bring for her as she fell into a deep sleep.

Balthazar sighed as he went to his room. The tug and pull of the two women in his life was beginning to tire him, but at least they both got along well. The last thing he wanted to deal with was an argument between the two of them. It would require too much energy to ignore something like that. He gratefully opened the door to his room and walked inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Good evening, Balthazar."

The man whipped around, surprised by the voice. When he turned around, he saw Veronica sitting on the edge of his bed, looking as perfect as ever.

"Well, don't just stand there! Come, sit," she said calmly, patting the covers beside her. Balthazar complied, setting himself next to her and allowing her to plant a kiss on his cheek. At the sight of his expression, though, she became worried. "Balthazar, dear, is something wrong?"

He sighed again, the weight of his thoughts clearly draining him. "I'm fine," he assured her, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. "I'm just tired, so I think I'll retire for tonight. Alone," he added, looking her in the eye. She smiled understandingly and stood, slipping her hand out of his grasp. "Goodnight then, my love," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Veronica," he replied, waiting until she was out of the room before collapsing onto his bed. He didn't know how much longer he could hide his conflict from her. As he drifted asleep, he wondered if there was any way he could get out of his predicament unscathed.

As the sun rose, Josselyn rose with it. She put on a red dress for the day, liking how the gold accents brightened the dress. She made her way into the kitchen and picked up breakfast for both her and Balthazar. He would probably have already started working on another new project in the study. As she went up the stairs, she felt a dark sense of foreboding at the back of her neck. Josselyn turned to see Horvath preparing to head out on a ride. He looked up at her and nodded before turning back to mount his horse. For some reason, Josselyn felt that there was something wrong. She shook the feeling and continued up the stairs to Balthazar's lab. As usual, the stacks of books hadn't moved, and she moved carefully in between the piles. She noted that the urn had been moved a bit close to the table and took a bit more care stepping around that object. She placed the plates on the table and looked around for her master. However, he wasn't in the room.

"That's odd," Josselyn remarked to herself as she looked around.

Balthazar walked up the stairs to his lab to find Josselyn already there. "Oh, good, I found you," he said when he was close enough to her. "Horvath, Veronica and I were called out on an errand today, so you're free to do as you wish," he said. Then he noticed the plates on the table. "Oh, sorry, I guess I should have told you earlier..."

Josselyn looked up at him in surprise, before tucking a loose strand of her auburn hair behind her ear.

"It's alright. I'll just work around the palace today and see if Merlin needs my help with anything. Do you have anything you need me to do?" she asked, looking at Balthazar.

He shook his head. "I don't have anything for you to do, so if you want to work around the castle, feel free. Or maybe Merlin has something for you to do," he suggested, looking out the window. "The sun is fairly high, now. I should be off." He looked carefully into the speckled eyes he'd grown accustomed to. "Just be careful," he said, not quite understanding why he said it.

Josselyn watched as he was leaving and then remembered what had occurred the night before.

"Balthazar!" she called out. She watched as he paused and turned to face her. "I heard voices coming from Horvath's room last night when I was heading to my chambers. And this morning, I just felt this weird vibe from him. I'm not sure if it means anything; I just wanted you to know. Take care of yourself too," Josselyn said with a smile.

Balthazar nodded, mulling over the words in his head. Could it just be that Horvath was jealous and projecting his hate onto her? "Don't worry, I will," he promised, and left the room.

Josselyn watched as Balthazar rode off with his two friends. She hoped that they would all be safe. She spent the morning trying to straighten up Balthazar's lab. She had lunch with Merlin and spent a few moments walking through the garden with him. His vast knowledge always awed Josselyn.

In the light of the setting sun, Josselyn was organizing the dishes and herbs that were left out across the tables in the lab. She was so focused in her work, she didn't hear the sounds of footsteps making their way toward the lab. As the door crashed open, she whirled around to find Horvath standing there.

"What did you tell them?" he demanded, stomping into the room. Josselyn looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, backing up to put some distance between her and the enraged sorcerer.

"You told Balthazar that you heard voices from my chambers last night. What did you hear?" he shouted, walking toward the frightened auburn. Josselyn summoned a fireball and threw it at him, but he deflected it easily.

"Not willing to tell me? Then this is the end," he said as he raised his staff. Josselyn's eyes widened and she fell to the ground as the plasma bolt connected with her chest.

Balthazar knew something was wrong the moment he entered the castle grounds. At first, he couldn't tell what struck his internal alarm, but then he noticed it: there were none of the usual guards stationed around the castle. Sure enough, when he and Veronica reached the gates, the guards had all been slaughtered.

Balthazar catapulted off of his horse and ran into the building, running immediately for Merlin's office. What on Earth had happened?

* * *

Balthazar was in shock, the look of battle still fresh on his face. Horvath had betrayed them and brought Morgana straight to them. Now not only had they killed Merlin, but in order to stop Morgana, Veronica had locked both the witch and herself in the Grimhold. To make matters worse, Horvath had gotten away. Balthazar felt empty inside. How could this have happened? Why didn't they see it coming? The pain was unbearable.

Wait, there was still a glimmer of hope. He hadn't found Josselyn; maybe she was still alive! His energy renewed, Balthazar rushed towards the lab, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be the only survivor.

His lab was in shambles. The books he had stacked neatly on the floor were now in complete disarray, scattered all over the floor. Among them, making his heart sink, was a body. A woman with auburn hair.

"Josselyn!" he cried, rushing to her side and kneeling next to her. He didn't even have to check. She was gone.

"Josselyn," he whispered, taking her hand in his. He pressed it to his lips, doing for her in death what he hadn't had the courage to do in life. Now he'd lost his chance. He was completely alone.

The man cried then. Cried for his master and his lover who sacrificed herself that he might win, for all the people who died and the friend he lost to jealousy, but mostly he cried for a friend. A friend that helped him through everything and could have been so much more.

That was the day he swore vengeance. He would have his revenge, and he would chase after the one thing that might have survived that day: Veronica.

**Hopefully you enjoyed the first chapter of _Decent_! Don't worry, it doesn't end here! I hope to have the second chapter up by the end of the week, but I'm also working on three other stories before I leave to start work, so it may take a bit. But if this is well-received, it will inspire me to get these chapters out faster! ^^**

**Much thanks!**

**-HeavensScribe**


	2. Chapter 2: Familiar

**Two chapters in a day? I've died and finally been given time to write! Unfortunately, I found out today that I have to have all of my stuff packed before Friday, and I work Tuesday and Wednesday! Doesn't that sound like fun? (Answer: Nope) So that means I may get up one or two more chapters before then. After that, it's anyone's guess. Anywho, without further ado, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Cailin belongs to Mew of Fire. As before, I wrote for Balthazar, she wrote for Cailin.**

Chapter 2: Familiar

_1310 hundred years later_:

Death was not a friend of Cailin LeRoy. After losing her mother at a young age, the twenty-eight year old was no stranger to death. Now, a drunk driver had taken her father from her. She had spent the last 72 hours crying. Her silver speckled eyes were bloodshot and her chestnut brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun. The luncheon that had taken place at her father's favorite restaurant after his funeral had been too long and exhausting. Too many people were trying to wish her well and also ask her, as discreetly as they could, what would be happening to the large number of properties that her father had owned. Liam LeRoy had been a real estate tycoon, and owned properties all over the world. Now, as the heir to his fortune, Cailin had to go through the deeds to these properties. She looked at the mountain of paper in front of her and sighed. This was the last thing she wanted to do, but she'd rather get it done sooner as opposed to waiting. It would just make her miss her father even more later. As Cailin rose from the couch to grab a glass of water, a gust of wind blew through her penthouse, scattering the papers. She looked over to the windows but just shook her head. These weird things had been happening around her since she was little, and she had given up trying to make sense of them.

Cailin knelt down next to the papers and looked at the document on top of the pile. It was a listing for a train turn around that was no longer in use. She remembered her father mentioning how the building had beautiful architecture and was one of his favorite places. She made up her mind and went into her room to get dressed. Throwing on jeans, her favorite pair of black boots and a red top, she grabbed the listing and headed out the door.

As she climbed into her Ford Explorer, she looked down at the listing for the ran of anyone who was renting the building. No name was listed, which made her smile. She wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with people right now. She pushed the gas pedal down and headed out, excited to see one of her father's favorite places.

* * *

Balthazar watched the awkward boy in front of him try to perform spell after spell without improvement. After 1300 years, he had _finally_ found the Prime Merlinian and the boy could barely create fire. He had faith in the boy, but that faith was gradually waning.

They were in the boy's lab, surrounded by his Tesla coils while the boy stood in the middle of his Merlin Circle trying desperately to block even his weaker attacks. They didn't have time to waste; Horvath was quickly closing in on them and if he wanted any chance of saving Veronica, this boy had to be powerful enough to defeat Morgana. That was starting to look very unlikely.

Suddenly, the metal grate door swung open and a clang resonated throughout the lab. Balthazar looked at Dave. "Did you invite anyone here again?" he asked dully. Dave shook his head. Balthazar cursed inwardly, surreptitiously preparing a plasma orb behind his back.

Cailin quickly parked the car and threw open the metal grate door. It hit the wall with a clang and she winced. She carefully made her way down the stairs, and noticed that the lights were on. Considering no one was supposed to be here, that was odd. She opened the glass door at the bottom of the steps and entered the room. The high vaulting ceiling looked amazing, even better than her father described. However, the room wasn't empty. She saw stacks of metal, computers, wires, and giant metals columns. And then she saw the two men standing on the floor, staring at her.

"I hate to be rude, but no one is supposed to be here. So who are you and what are you doing here?" asked Cailin, standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

Dave laughed nervously, much to Balthazar's chagrin. "Well, you see," the boy started, "I needed somewhere to work on my Tesla coil project for my Physics class at the University, and, well, my TA recommended this building because it was empty, so yeah. That's why we're here." Throughout the course of Dave's explanation, Balthazar said nothing. He just hoped she wouldn't see the new design that had been engraved into the ground.

Cailin looked at the two men. The younger one seemed jumpy and was a crappy liar. The older one, probably only a few years older than her, looked like he wanted to smack the student. It was then she noticed the design burned into the ground of the floor.

"What the hell! You're not even renting the property and you're already making a mess of an architectural masterpiece!" Cailin yelled as she began walking down the stairs. "This was my father's favorite place and you're using it for who knows what!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. She wasn't happy about this at all.

"Look, we can clean it up, it's nothing permanent," Balthazar spoke finally, stepping towards the woman. "And is the boy really doing any harm here? He just needs a space to work on his project." Dave quickly nodded his agreement with Balthazar's statement and started explaining what little harm he had done to the structure. Now what Balthazar _really_ wanted was to demand paperwork and a reason for her being there, but he decided to try the nice approach first.

Cailin looked at him, arms crossed over her chest and her right eyebrow raise skeptically.

"You seriously think that a mark that's been seared into the ground will disappear that easily? It could take months of restoration to fix that," she replied. She turned to Dave, narrowing her eyes.

"I want the name of your professor that told you that you could work here. This is trespassing. I could understand that you need the space, but I don't like the fact that you didn't go through legal means to obtain it," Cailin told Dave. She turned to both men and put her hands on her hips. After a few moments, she looked back at Dave.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" she asked, rubbing her head as she felt a headache coming on.

Dave stuttered. "Um... it... it was Professor Beatty! I mean, he recommended the place to me, and I

just assumed it was abandoned..." Dave seemed nearly panicked.

Balthazar sighed, just barely stopping himself from shaking his head. Before she could ask the boy anymore questions, he cut her off. "Now I assume if your running your mouth like you are that you have some paperwork to back it up?" he challenged, watching her closely. He still wasn't entirely convinced this woman wasn't sent by Horvath, or wasn't Horvath himself. Dave tried to say something at that point, but Balthazar quieted him with a harsh look.

"Yes, I happen to have the paperwork," she replied. She reached into her bag and pulled out the documents her father had left her, and her license for good measure. She handed them over to Balthazar and returned to her defensive gesture of crossing her arms over her chest.

"My father owned this property. In his will, I was left all his property and fortune. I wanted to see one of his favorite buildings, and here we all are," she said, refusing to make eye contact. She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes. She watched the man look them over, and for a moment, she thought that he was cute. She pushed that thought away quickly. Her life was already hectic enough. Cailin turned to Dave.

"So what exactly are you doing down here?" she asked, curious.

"Well you see," Dave immediately answered, "I'm doing a project for my physics class with Tesla coils and. well, I couldn't find anywhere big enough to build them until I found this place." He looked around the room fondly. "I've spent a lot of time down here. I can sorta see why your dad liked it."

Cailin smiled. Her father would have liked this kid. Though their interests were in two different fields, the enthusiasm was still the same.

Meanwhile, Balthazar was going over the papers, seeing that in fact, this girl did own the building, or at least her father had. None of the papers seemed to have been changed yet to indicate her as the actual owner.

"When did your father pass? These papers are still in his name, you know," Balthazar noted, glancing up at her. He needed to be 100% sure this girl was not an agent of Morgana before letting Dave tell her anything else.

After hearing Balthazar's question, she turned to look at him.

Cailin turned to face Balthazar, but her eyes never quite made it, preferring instead to focus on the floor. "He passed away 3 days ago after an accident with a drunk driver. I just buried him today. So technically, the ownership hasn't been fully put into my name yet, but the process has begun," she replied with a sad smile, feeling her eyes burn again. She noted that the man was very thorough, and still seemed a bit wary of her. She had to appreciate that though, for if she had been in his position, she'd probably act the same way.

Balthazar felt a twinge of guilt for bringing up such a fresh memory, but it had to be done. "I'm sorry for your loss," he said sincerely, looking at her eyes as she drew closer to him. He noticed they were a very peculiar shade. A shade he felt like he'd seen before. He blinked a few times, trying to remember, but at present, he was having difficulties. At least his fears that she was working for Morgana were slightly relieved, at least for the moment.

"Are there any other questions you wanted to ask me?" Cailin asked, stepping over to Balthazar.

He straightened the pad of papers and shook his head. "Not right now, no." When she was close enough, he handed the papers back, his hand accidentally brushing past hers as he did. It stunned him for a second. It had been a long time since his last human contact, and it felt...odd. Not bad... unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time. Like those eyes of hers...

"Thank you," Cailin replied as she put the papers back into her bag. She felt a bit unnerved by the man's stare but she just brushed it off. People had been staring at her all day today. He just probably felt bad about bringing up her father.

"I probably should head out now. But so we can avoid any involvement of the law, I'll bring back some paperwork later in the week. It'll say you're using the space, but you won't have to pay for it," she told Dave as she readied herself to leave. She turned to both men.

"It was nice to meet the two of you," she began as she headed out. However, she then stubbed her toe against a large stack of physics textbooks Dave had piled around the lab.

"Would it kill the two of you to sort this stuff out so it's not actually laying over the floor? It's an accident in the making," she half joked as she made her way to the bottom of the stairs.

Balthazar raised an eyebrow as she joked. The way she'd said that made her sound like her... but it couldn't be. She had died in the raid, and even if she had survived, she hadn't had the spell put on her, so it couldn't be. And then there were her eyes...

Interrupting Dave's long-winded and awkward apology, Balthazar said suddenly to the girl, "What's your name?" He needed to know if it was her. It all fit. In all of his years, he had never seen anyone else with eyes like that. Pair that with how much she acted like her, and it was enough to make Balthazar hopeful and tense.

Cailin looked over at Balthazar surprised. He seemed tense, and in shock. Had she done something wrong? She couldn't think of anything, other than the joke she just made. The boy next to her seemed to shut his mouth quite quickly, which lead her to realize that this man was the one in charge here. She was glad that he had stopped the apology though, cause it made here feel very awkward and she wasn't quite sure how to respond to it.

"My name is Cailin LeRoy. What's yours?" she asked back, brushing a lock of her hair out of her face. She was confused. Had she met him before?

Balthazar's shoulders sunk a little. He knew he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up; he had seen Josselyn's body for himself all those years ago. It had been foolish of him to believe even for an instant that she might be the woman before him. But this girl... she had those eyes – /her/ eyes. If he hadn't known better, he would have guessed this girl was her descendant, but Josselyn hadn't had any children...

"I'm Balthazar Blake," he answered finally, offering his hand to her.

Cailin reached out and shook his hand. She thought she felt a spark as their fingers brushed across one another's and a warming sensation as their palms met, but she ignored it. She was probably imagining it after all the emotional stress she had felt throughout the day.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she replied with a smile. She noted that he seemed a bit disappointed, as if he had been expecting her name to be something else. She turned to Dave.

"And you are?" she asked.

"I'm Dave Stutler," he replied, shaking her hand.

Cailin smiled. "It was nice to meet you both, but I should probably head home now. I have lots to sort through, but I'll bring the paperwork for you to sign later in the week. Will it be okay if I come here?" she asked, looking at both Balthazar and Dave.

Dave glanced at Balthazar as if silently asking if it would be alright. After thinking it over for a moment, Balthazar sighed his consent and Dave turned back to the woman. "Sure thing! Just, uh, make sure the elevator reaches all the way to the bottom before you try to get out. If you try to open the door before then, it gets jammed. Believe me, that is _not_ a fun experience –"

"What he means to say is that he's a bit special when it comes to mechanics. Let's just be happy he's more interested in electricity," Balthazar interrupted, putting his hand on the boy's head roughly, much to the boy's annoyance.

Cailin laughed at this – laughing for the first time in a while. Balthazar and Dave seemed to be an interesting pair. She'd bet that the story of how they met would be pretty unique.

"Alright, thanks for all your help then. It was nice to meet the both of you, and I'll be back here with those papers," remarked Cailin as she made her way up the stairs. She felt a bit sad to be leaving but she knew she'd be seeing them both very soon.

Balthazar and Dave each muttered a quick goodbye as Cailin left, though Balthazar watched her as she climbed the innumerable stairs that led to the top. Why did she remind him so much of Josselyn? He realized guiltily that he hadn't thought about the auburn-haired woman in a long time, probably due to his near-obsession with freeing Veronica and finding the Prime Merlinian. Maybe it was a good thing he had met this girl. He would do some digging into her background, though, just in case the similarity meant something...

Once the woman was no longer in sight, Dave ducked out from under Balthazar's hand, brushing his hair back into place with his hand. "Alright, next time a girl comes into my lab, /try/ not to embarrass me, okay?" he whined. "Especially if it's Becky," he added quickly.

Balthazar smiled mischievously. "If you didn't make it so easy, maybe I would actually have to try," he quipped back, blocking a ill-made plasma orb Dave had thrown at him. He smirked. "Obviously you're ready to start training again," he stated, readying a plasma ball of his own. However, through all of this, the girl still lingered in the back of his mind.

* * *

The drive home to her father's penthouse was uneventful and the apartment was just as empty as when she had left it. Cailin set her bag down on the table and sank down onto the couch. She felt very lonely without her father, and decided to do something she hadn't done in a while. She quickly grabbed a blanket and a pillow and headed for a closed door, the only closed door in the apartment. She opened the door to reveal the library. She made her way over to the east wall and set down her items there. On the wall in front of her was the LeRoy family tree. Cailin liked coming her whenever she felt lonely because she felt like her whole family could look after her. She quickly settled in for the night and let her mind wander. It only took her a few moments, but she quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Interlude

**Hey all! I'm all moved into my apartment, so that means _more time for writings!_ XD Or editing in this case. ^^; I want to thank Toboe for her review! Although I am curious: what about the first chapter didn't you like? If there's anything I can do to improve it, I would like to do so. ^^ I'm glad you liked the second chapter, though! This one's for you. :) Without further ado. everyone, please enjoy!**

Chapter 3: Interlude

Cailin woke up with a stiff back but she felt refreshed nonetheless. She sat up and stretched, feeling her back crack. She stood up and looked at the family tree. It gave her comfort knowing that the generations before her were watching over her. Running her fingers through her hair, she made her way out of the room. Her boss had demanded that she take off the week, and since her uncle was her boss, she gladly took the advice.

After stepping out of the shower, Cailin put in a call to her dad's office and asked them to send over the paperwork for the turnaround station. She wanted to get a move on that as soon as possible. Plus, she wanted to see both men again. She found them very entertaining and plus, she didn't want any lawyers to discover the lab and get Dave into trouble. She began to clean up around the apartment, and in a moment of distraction, her mind flew to Balthazar. Cailin felt an air of mystery and great knowledge surrounding him, which made her want to get to know him more. A moment later, her phone started to ring. She answered it and discovered it was one of her dad's lawyers. She then sat down at her table with all the papers the father had left her. Cailin mentally prepared herself for the very long phone conversation that was to occur now.

Balthazar opened his eyes, instantly awake as he always was after sleeping. He slept in one of the chairs in the lab, seeing as he hadn't really felt like going back to the store. He still had a funny feeling about the girl who had visited earlier, and until he sorted out who she was, he wouldn't sleep at home for a few nights.

He stood from the chair, picking up a mug and some water, adding some of the coffee grounds he kept around for occasions like these and sparked a fire underneath the mug. For some reason, he hadn't been able to forget about the girl from last night. She had floated through his mind all night, usually in passing, but it worried him how often she had appeared. It was probably stemming from Josselyn. The first nights after she died, the same thing happened, as well, just with Jocelyn instead of this Cailin woman.

When his coffee was sufficiently strong – which was quite strong, considering the tolerance he'd achieved in his 1300-some years – he levitated the remnants out of the drink and tossed them into the trash. In fact, at this point he wondered why he even drank coffee. Habit, he supposed.

After he drained the cup, he walked up the winding stairs to the elevator and finally to the streets. He headed straight for his store. If he was going to find out everything about this girl, he would need some supplies he had there.

Cailin rubbed her head as she hung up the phone. Talking with the lawyer had been long and annoying, and she had developed a headache an hour in. Thankfully, after four hours, he needed to go to a previous engagement. She walked over to the fridge and grabbed a glass of milk, using it to wash down the Advil she just took. She walked over to the fax machine and noticed that the office had faxed over the paperwork Dave would need to sign so he'd be "renting" the lab officially. She walked over to the table and placed them next to the address for the property.

After spending four hours on the phone with the lawyer, Cailin decided that she'd reward herself by reading a good book from the library. She wandered into the room, glancing over at the family tree. Cailin then made her way to where her favorite adventure books were. She was just about to reach for a book when she heard a thud behind her. She whipped around, but saw no one there. However, there was a book lying on the floor by the family tree. She walked over to the book and carefully picked it up. The book was extremely old and worn, and Cailin carefully turned the book over. The writing on the cover was too faded, making it impossible for her to read what was written across the front. She opened the journal and held back a gasp. It was a journal, written by her great grandfather, Dale LeRoy.  
She quickly stood up and ran back into the family room, plopping herself onto the couch. She opened the book and read over the first page. Apparently, her great grandfather decided to look into their family's history and this was what he discovered. Cailin began to read and lost herself within the pages of the journal.

Balthazar read a section over in the Incantus, running through it three more time to make sure it was correct. According to it, Merlin could tell whether people possessed magic just by touching them. The book then proceeded to say that the indicator of magic was a spark, not unlike a shock caused by static electricity. If Dave really was the Prime Merlinian, then in all likelihood he had those same abilities. Balthazar grinned. Finally, he had made some progress. Now he just had to get Dave to touch Cailin somehow...

He got up from his chair, grabbing his jacket and walking out the door. Dave should be just about done with classes, and he wanted to be at the lab when he arrived there.

Cailin put down the journal as she was now a third of the way through. Apparently, her family came from England, not Ireland like her grandparents had told her. There was a history of serving royalty in the family too and holding high positions in the courts. She was amazed at what her great grandfather had been able to find out. Yet, he seemed to allude to something bigger. Cailin wasn't sure what he meant by that, but now her curiosity was peaked.

Realizing that it was an hour after she had started, Cailin stood up and stretched before heading to the fridge. She pulled out some pasta from the night before and put it into the microwave. As she waited for her food to cook, she thought back to that shock she had felt from shaking Dave's hand. It was probably just the electricity running throughout that lab. He had enough equipment that there had to be some loose energy running about. As the microwave dinged, she began to eat her food, pushing away the thoughts of yesterday. Cailin wanted to find out what her great grandfather would learn next.

Dave was having a good day. He'd met the girl he'd had a crush on in the fifth grade and had started talking to her again, albeit awkwardly, and found out she worked at a radio station. He promised himself he would listen to it from now on if it killed him. Actually, take back the killing thing. He'd had to many near-death experiences lately to justify that statement. He walked down the stairs to the lab and, lo and behold, as per usual, Balthazar was still there. Sometimes he swore the man lived there. How else could he _always_ be there no matter what hour Dave got there?

"You know, sometimes I think you live here," Dave joked, setting his backpack down heavily on the floor. "So what is it today? Flying icicles, lifting earth, making tornadoes – "

"We're continuing with plasma bolts until you can make one that poses more of a threat to me than a rat," Balthazar said sarcastically. Actually, it was either until he made a good one or Cailin came back. He needed to think of a way to get Dave to make contact with her somehow without making it seem creepy.

Dave sighed. It was going to be another long day in the catcher's gear.

Cailin pried herself away from the book and looked at the clock on the TV. Dave should be done classes now. She ran into her room and threw on jeans, flats, and a gray shirt before grabbing the papers and stuffing them into her purse and she ran out the door. She made it to the property in record time, excited to see the men again. She wasn't sure why, but she liked them.

Cailin let the gate bang open loudly and made her way down the elevator, giving the guys ample time to clean up the mess that they probably made. She opened the door to the lab and smiled.

"Hey! I'm back!" she called out to both men as she walked over to the railing.

As soon as the door clanged open, Balthazar froze, one of Dave's semi-formed plasma bolts almost hitting him. "Dave, take off your armor. We have a guest," he said smugly, not bothering to replace his coat. Dave looked at the man oddly as he removed him helmet. Sometimes he forgot the guy was from medieval times.

Balthazar smiled ever-so-slightly at the girl as she walked in. "That was quick," he commented, buying time for Dave to wrestle off the catcher's gear.

"Yeah, I was surprised at how fast they sent it over too. My dad kept things running pretty efficiently, but I hadn't realized just how good they were at getting things where they needed to go," Cailin replied as she made her way down the stairs, focusing on watching where she stepped so that she didn't stumble down them. She noted that Balthazar seemed more lively today, as if he wasn't as stressed.

"How's your day been Balthazar? Do anything interesting?" she asked, wondering what he did other than helping out Dave.

Balthazar was momentarily at a loss for words. What could he tell her, that he'd been researching her bloodline? That he was training a boy to fight off one of the most powerful witches that ever lived? That she had floated in and out of his dreams last night? "I've been fine. I just did a little research," he eventually said, casually glancing into her eyes again. They were still that all-too-familiar shade of speckled gray. That counted out him hallucinating it the day before. "How about you?" he asked nonchalantly.

Just then, Dave walked out from behind a cabinet, brushing a hand through his hair. "Oh, hi Ms. LeRoy," he chuckled awkwardly, walking towards the pair. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon." He half-smiled at her.

"Hey Dave. I brought the papers you need to sign. Once you sign them, you'll officially be 'renting' this place. Now, I know that this stack looks intimidating, but you only need to sign and initial in a few spots," Cailin said and pointed out to Dave where he needed to sign. Turning back to Balthazar, Cailin answered his question.

"I had a nice four hour chat with a lawyer, which I highly regret. I also discovered my great grandfather's journal today. He had been trying to research the family history, so it's exciting to read what he discovered," Cailin replied with a smile. She decided to omit telling Balthazar that she had been thinking of him all night. Because that wouldn't be a creepy thing to tell him at all.

Her mention of the journal caught Balthazar's ear instantly. "Your family history?" he asked, trying not seem overly interested. If she really did have a book covering her entire family history, that would make his job a lot easier. "Do you know how far back he traced your family?" Balthazar was afraid he was coming off as too curious, but that journal was important if it went back as far as he thought it might.

Cailin stopped and thought for a moment. How far did it go back again? "I think he was able to trace back the family line to the time of King Arthur," she replied. After another momentary pause, she nodded. "Yes, he did. I remember how he used to brag about how he was able to get so far back in history. He was extremely excited," Cailin replied with a smile. She looked over at Dave. "How are you doing with those papers?" she asked, curious to know if he needed any help.

Dave was shuffling through the papers, confused. "Umm... I think a form is missing. The page numbers don't match up," Dave said, frowning.

Balthazar was still thinking about the journal. If her great-grandfather went back to King Arthur without missing anything, then he could find out who her ancestors were during his time. If only he could get his hands on the book...

Cailin looked through the papers Dave was showing her, and then sighed. "I can't believe they missed six pages! I'm sorry. Hey, if you both want to come over to my house, I'll get the office to fax them over so then you can just sign them and be done with it," Cailin proposed looking at both men. A part of her hoped that Dave would agree. She liked spending time with him and Balthazar.

"Uh… Sure," Dave agreed before turning to look at his master. "Did you hear that Balthazar? We're going to Cailin's house to get the rest of the forms I need to sign," he told his master. Dave was a bit worried about Balthazar. He seemed very scatter-brained recently. Dave hoped old age wasn't getting to him.

Balthazar stared blankly at Dave. "Yes, Dave, I did hear, my brain works, unlike some people's," he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. He didn't like that Dave was acting like he was dumb. Actually, he didn't like that Dave was acting like he was retarded in front of _Cailin_. Balthazar whipped around, grabbed his coat, and began to follow Cailin to her car. He turned back to Dave. "Well? Come on, Dave, don't want to be late for you first time going to a girl's house," he jibed. Dave frowned, grabbing his backpack as he mumbled something along the lines of, "I've been to a girl's house before." Balthazar smirked. That would show him to challenge his teacher.

Cailin laughed at the banter between Balthazar and Dave. She easily made her want up the stairs and wait for the guys to get into the elevator. Once in and above ground, they stepped outside and into her car. As they drove over to the penthouse, Cailin's mind drifted over to the man riding in the passenger seat in her car. She wanted to get to know both boys better, especially Balthazar. There was something about him that intrigued her, and she wanted to know what that was. She pulled into the parking space and led them into the building.


	4. Chapter 4: The Library

**I have finally gotten the next chapter up! Huzzah! Sorry for the long wait, but things have been kinda crazy 'round here. Thank you to all of the people who have reviewed! To Toboelily, I'm not entirely sure why she trusted them so easily, either. We can chalk it up to magic for now. ^^; Please enjoy the next chapter! It's a little cheesy, but hang in there and we'll get to the action soon!**

**None of the characters belong to me, but Cailin and Josselyn both belong to Mew of Fire.**

Chapter 4: The Library

As the doors opened into the entrance way of the penthouse, Cailin giggled at the stunned look and Dave's face. "Come on in, you guys," she said as she opened the door.

Dave's mouth flew open at the sight of the magnificent hall before them. Balthazar, too, looked at the entrance way with slight awe. This was the first time he had been inside an area this extravagant since he had lived in Merlin's castle. There were elegant sculptures around the entryway and beautiful paintings lined the walls. Seeing that Cailin was still walking, though, they both quickly ended their reveries and followed her farther inside the house.

Cailin led both men into the kitchen. "This is obviously the kitchen. You can both help yourselves to the food in the fridge. I have a lot of food from people who were upset about me being alone. The bathroom is down the hall and to the right, and the family room is through that doorway there. I'm going to call the office and explain what happened, so I'll be in my room for a moment. I'll be back in a few. Don't burn the house down," she said with a smile and headed down the hall and to the left.

As soon as Cailin was out of sight, Dave went for the fridge, digging through the multitude of food that lay inside. As he compiled a stack that he deemed fit for a snack, he turned to Balthazar. "Hey, do you want anything?" he asked. Balthazar, who had been heading out of the room, responded with a quick, "No," before continuing on his way out, searching for a book.

He wandered down wide hallways, looking for anything that might indicate it had the book in it. He opened up various doors at random until he came across one that was filled with books. A library.

He stole away inside and began looking for the journal. A few books caught his eye around the reading area when he finally saw one that didn't have a title. Picking it up, he flipped it open and saw that it was penned in a flowing Victorian script. He read the first few pages. This was it – he had found it. Instantly, he flipped to the back of the book and started perusing the pages.

Cailin wanted to bang her head against the wall. When she had decided to call the office, she didn't realize that all the people who worked with her dad would want to each giver her their condolences. After the thirteenth person, Cailin asked to talk to whoever had faxed over the form to her. She then spent about half an hour explaining what happened, asking for the rest of the pages that were missing and comforting the person that they wouldn't be fired. She finally hung up the phone after being on it for forty-five minutes, thirty minutes longer than she had wanted to be on it in the first place. She made her way out of her bedroom and to the fax machine in her dad's office. After about ten minutes, the last six pages came through. Cailin checked to make sure everything was there and then headed out for the kitchen.

She found Dave in the family room with a pile of food. She wanted to laugh that such a skinny guy could pack away so much. "Here's the rest of the papers Dave," Cailin told him as she handed him the rest of the papers. She then looked around the room. "Hey Dave, where's Balthazar?" she asked, not seeing him anywhere.

Dave looked up at her. "Ummm... I'm not sure. He went down that hallway a little while ago," he said, pointing at the hallway in question while he continued to eat his sandwich.

Balthazar was reading and re-reading one page of the journal, his frustration almost palpable. Why wasn't she in here? The journal read that Cailin had had an ancestor in the service of King Arthur's mystical court, also known as Merlin, but there was no mention of a name! It frustrated him to no end, but it had to be Josselyn, right? No one else had those eyes, and if Cailin's ancestor had worked for Merlin, the chance that it was Josselyn were high. But one thing still bothered him about the whole situation: if Josselyn was Cailin's ancestor, that meant Josselyn had to have had a child at some point, and he thought he would had noticed something as drastic as a pregnancy.

He heard footsteps in the hallway and quickly set the book down where he found it, standing near one of the pictures in the center of the room as if he had been observing it. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a family tree; Cailin's family tree.

Cailin thanked Dave for his help and began walking down the hallway. She wondered why Balthazar went wandering off, but then again, she probably would have done the same thing if she had been in his shoes. She worked to narrow down where he might of ended up. It suddenly hit her. She quickly made her way to the library and opened the door.

"Balthazar, are you in here?" she asked. She then saw him standing by the family tree and looking at it. She smiled and walked over to his side.

"You've found my favorite place in the whole house," she admitted to him, watching as he studied the picture.

Balthazar had expected Cailin to be the person who had been meandering the halls, but he didn't know how she had known he would be here. He cleared his throat briefly before saying, "You have quite nice library here." His eyes glued to the tapestry in front of him, but very aware of the woman beside her.

Cailin looked over at him and smiled, while brushing a piece of her hair back behind her ear. For some reason, she felt happier that Balthazar said that. "Honestly, this tapestry is my favorite part of the library. I like to sleep in here sometimes or just spend time in here because I feel like my ancestors are all watching over me. I wonder what they were like," she said, tilting her head to the side as she spoke.

Balthazar had to bite his tongue. He had almost asked if the name Josselyn sounded familiar to her, but what would he say if she asked who that was? He couldn't tell her the truth, it was too unbelievable. So instead, he went with, "I'm sure they were good people; you turned out alright, right?" he said, flashing a half-smile at her. Wow, that was incredibly cheesy, he thought to himself.

Cailin looked at him. "Thanks. I like to hope that I turned out okay, and will continue to be. Like one of my ancestors my great grandfather always loved to tell me about. She was smart, kind and loyal. I think that she's my favorite out of all my ancestors just because of the fantastic stories he told her about her working in the castle of King Arthur. Her name was Josselyn," Cailin said with a smile, looking over at Balthazar.

The man froze in his place, turning to Cailin in shock. Josselyn... so it was true, Cailin was Josselyn's descendant. He grabbed Cailin's shoulders and turned her to face him fully, looking into her eyes. He had always thought they were the same as Josselyn's eyes, but looking into them and knowing they were allowed him to believe for just a second that he was seeing Josselyn again. Unfortunately in his observation of her eyes, he wasn't aware of how close they had gotten.

Cailin looked up at Balthazar in shock. He had grabbed her so quickly, and now…. now their faces were only a few inches away from each others. He had reacted to Josselyn's name. She would have thought that he had known her, but that was impossible. Josselyn had lived over 1300 years ago. But the pain in his eyes was real. She felt extremely confused and blushed a bit at how close they were. He was studying her so closely and he was scaring her. "Balthazar? Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of what to do.

Cailin's voice brought Balthazar out of his thoughts, causing him to realize the position they were in, he backed away a bit, his hands still on her shoulders. "Sorry, it's just your eyes... they remind me of someone who was very close to me..." he explained vaguely, stealing another glance at her eyes. He hoped that would suffice as an explanation, but he highly doubted it.

Cailin was surprised. No one had told her something like that before. "Really? I've honestly never heard that before. Everyone else in my family had brown eyes. I'm really sorry about your friend. What happened to her?" she asked. She didn't mind him leaving his hands on her shoulders, she felt comforted by them and she liked how warm they felt against her skin.

The word "friend" sent a spike through his heart. That's right, they had just been "friends". He hadn't had the courage to tell her otherwise until it was too late. He ducked his head, trying to curb his feelings before they overflowed.

"Thanks," he said, his voice a little gruff from trying to hold back so much history. "She... she was killed a long time ago... she was murdered." He tried to keep his voice neutral, but some hate filtered through anyway.

Cailin watched as he ducked his head, and she instantly felt guilty. Then she heard the word murdered, and she felt even worse. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up and it's obvious it's still hurting you. I feel to stupid for bringing it up. I'm so sorry for your loss," Cailin replied. She then did something that always made her feel better after feeling sad or hearing bad news; she pulled Balthazar into a hug. Cailin hoped it would make him feel better.

Balthazar was stunned when she pulled him into a hug. When was the last time he had been hugged? It had been a long, long time, but right now it was what he so badly needed. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her more tightly against him. She smelled nice, like spring flowers in the morning. His emotions were going haywire, but he kept them contained. He would deal with them at a more appropriate time.

Cailin felt Balthazar relax a bit in their embrace and she calmed down a bit. She was glad to giving the hug for once instead of receiving it, like she had been recently. Death was never good, especially when its victim departed from life before their time. He smelled of scrolls, fire, and something else. She couldn't place her finger on it, but the scent was enticing. She pushed those thoughts down a bit. He needed her to comfort him because he was in pain. Cailin hoped that he'd be able to heal eventually.

Eventually Balthazar felt the hug had to end and he reluctantly let his arms slip from behind her, unwittingly landing on her waist. He almost smirked and left them there, but he let them fall to his sides. Some things just weren't socially acceptable for the amount of time he had known her.

"So, is Dave still waiting in the kitchen?" he asked, a ghost of a smirk across his features.

Cailin felt Balthazar begin to pull away, and also released him too, though she was reluctant to do so.

"Yes, Dave is still in the kitchen. Well, he seems to be between the kitchen and the family room. I'm surprised and a bit scared at how much food he eats. He's a stick!" Cailin exclaimed, while looking up at Balthazar.

Balthazar's smirk widened just a hair. "Don't worry, he scares most normal people," he jibed.

Cailin smiled as she laughed. She reached over and pulled Balthazar by the arm. "Come on. We had better go find Dave and make sure he doesn't eat all my food. I really would like not to have to the grocery store tomorrow," she said and began to lead Balthazar out the door.

Balthazar quickly brought himself in line with Cailin, not really enjoying being pulled behind her. He gently eased his arm out of her grip, only to offer it to her. He would much prefer linking their arms todether over the iron grip she'd had on his elbow.

Cailin felt bad as Balthazar slipped out of her hand, but almost blushed when he had offered his arm to her. Sure, she had walked arm in arm with her dad at the Father-Daughter dances they attended, but she had never walked arm-in-arm with another man before. She took his arm and continued down the hallway with Balthazar. She chuckled to herself when she wondered what Dave's reaction would be.

When Cailin and Balthazar walked back into the kitchen, Dave was still pigging out on the vast stores of Cailin's refrigerator, this time holding a half-eaten hamburger. When he saw the two walk in together, though, his half-chewed food almost erupted from his nose. After a few minutes of choking and Balthazar looking at him funny, Dave composed himself and asked in a slightly suggestive tone, "So where were you two?"

Balthazar let Cailin's arm go so she could hand Dave the remaining papers. "Where we were is none of your business," he said vaguely, causing Dave to flash him a suspicious look.

Cailin walked over to Dave. "Here are the missing papers. There's only a few more things you need to initial and sign," she said and pointed out the spots to him. She walked back over to Balthazar as Dave began to sign the papers. "How long are you planning to torment him for?" she asked, looking over at him.

Balthazar grinned, looking over at the boy. "Until I don't have to," he said slyly. Balthazar cleared his throat slightly, unsure how he felt about what he was about to do, but he felt like he should, and on top of that, he kind of wanted to. "Um..." he started falteringly, "For letting us continue to use the building without rent, I was hoping you would let me take you to lunch tomorrow," he said quietly so that Dave couldn't hear. If Dave caught wind of their outing, he wouldn't let Balthazar live it down, but at the same time, he wanted to see Cailin again. She... interested him.

Cailin nodded at his response. He seemed to get some entertainment out of bothering Dave. She froze at his proposal. Did he just ask her out? Cailin was unsure of what to do. She then decided to go with her gut on this one. "Sure, I'd love to go out to lunch with you tomorrow. What time?" she asked. She liked Balthazar and Dave. They were a funny duo. Plus, she felt a bit attracted to Balthazar and she wanted to learn more about him.

Balthazar noticeably relaxed after her acceptance of his offer. "Does 1:00 work for you?" he asked softly, glancing over at Dave. He only had until Dave was done with the papers to plan this out. After that, Dave would be too interested in their conversation. "Is there anywhere in particular you want to eat?" he asked quickly.

Cailin watched as Balthazar relaxed. "1:00 should be fine. I don't really have anything planned for the week since my boss made me take the time off. As for food, I like Italian, if that's okay with you," she said shrugging her shoulders. She noticed Dave seemed to be on the second to last page. He had moved through the papers fast.

Balthazar nodded. "Cucini's at 1:00, then?" he asked softly, also noticing that Dave was finishing up.

"Sure. I can't wait," Cailin replied with a smile. Now she had to decide what to wear. That was going to take a bit.

Balthazar smiled, about to say something, but was cut short by a triumphant Dave. "Hey Cailin! I finished!" he exclaimed, waving the papers at them. Balthazar sighed, reluctantly backing away from her while she attended to Dave and his finished paperwork.

Cailin sent an apologetic look over at Balthazar and walked over to Dave. She quickly checked over the pages, making sure that everything was filled out okay. She turned to Dave and smiled. "You're all good. Congrats! You're now officially renting the space," she told him with a smile.

Dave smiled at Cailin, then at Balthazar. "Well, that's a load off my shoulders," Dave said in relief, stretching his arms as if he had just been asleep. Balthazar smirked. "Yeah, now you won't get arrested."

"Oh, I wouldn't have gotten arrested anyway," Dave scoffed. Balthazar rolled his eyes in disbelief, then turned to Cailin. "Thank you for helping us," he said graciously as Dave got up laboriously from his seat. He had honestly hoped that they could find some excuse to stay longer, but he _would_ be having lunch with her tomorrow.

Cailin smiled back at Balthazar. "You're welcome. I'm glad I could help," she replied. She was sad to see both men leave, especially Balthazar. "Wait! How are you guys getting back?" asked Cailin. She had driven them over here, so they couldn't exactly get back by car.

Dave stopped and looked at Balthazar expectantly. How _had_ he planned on getting them back? Without skipping a beat, Balthazar replied, "Oh, well I thought you might have things to attend to here, so we were just going to take the bus back," he said smoothly. Of _course_ he hadn't thought of riding an iron bird back to the city... who did things like that?

Dave let out a sigh of relief; so Balthazar had thought of normal transportation for once instead of that flying metal deathtrap.

Cailin looked between both guys. "Are you sure? It's not really a problem for me to drive you back. I don't exactly lead the most demanding life," she said, gesturing to the quiet air surrounding them.

The two men looked at each other again, Dave with a pleading look and Balthazar with raised eyebrows. As he turned back to Cailin, he said, "Well, if it wouldn't be out of your way, I'm sure Dave would appreciate it." He glanced at Dave again, who was clearly relieved. Yeah, Dave would appreciate it, but Balthazar would enjoy spending a little more time with Josselyn's descendant.

Cailin smiled and grabbed her keys off the counter. "Alright! Let's head out then," she replied as she led the men over to the elevator. A few minutes later, they were in the car and on their way back to the lab.

Dave had tried to squeeze his way into the spacious passenger's seat, but Balthazar used a little magic to maneuver him out of the way and slide into the seat himself, smirking at Dave's glare. When they arrived at the lab, Dave ran out to unlock the padlock at the front door while Balthazar lingered inside the car. "Thanks for bringing us back," he thanked.

Cailin nodded. "I'm glad I could help. I could use some happy excitement in my life right now. Plus, I was getting bored of just sitting around. I can't wait until tomorrow," she said, pushing her bangs out of her face.

Balthazar allowed himself a small smile. "I look forward to it, too. I'll meet you there," he said, watching her contemplatively. He opened the car door and reluctantly left he seat. "I should make sure Dave doesn't destroy the building. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, smiling.

Cailin almost blushed at Balthazar's small smile. "Alright. You make sure that he doesn't. I'm not too sure how well I'd handle one of my buildings being destroyed. I'll see you tomorrow," she replied. She watched as Balthazar shut the door and she slowly began to drive off. She smiled to herself. Today was a good day.

Balthazar was smiling sincerely for once. This was turning out to be a good day. He walked briskly towards the building, braving the clankity elevator before rushing down the swirling steps of the room. Dave was near one of his Tesla coils, tinkering with the wiring or some such thing. He glanced over at Balthazar when the click of his shoes on the stone hit ground level. Dave smirked. "So does this mean you can't tease me about Becky anymore?" he asked knowingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Balthazar lied, a hint of a smile still lingering in his eyes. He sat down in one of the chairs and conjured up another cup of coffee.

Dave just shook his head as he connected two wires. "I saw the way you two were acting towards each other. You like her," he stated expertly, sounding proud of his discovery.

"Tch," Balthazar replied dismissively, feeling a little guilty at the denial. "Speaking of, if that girl distracts you from your training one more time, I'll keep you down here for a week to catch up," he threatened teasingly. "Now finish up so we can continue your training."


	5. Chapter 5: Inside-Out

**Hey everybody! I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated! School's really been bogging me down, but I finally found enough time to put the final touches on this chapter! This is where things really start to get exciting, so hopefully you all enjoy reading it as much as my friend and I enjoyed writing it!**

**I only had a chance to go over this once, so if there are any errors, please let me know either through a review or PM! I hate to unknowingly have a buggy story out. ^^;**

**And finally millions of thanks to Ravenclaw Slytherin, Myghtflower-Pack, PureAngelEyes, and aireagle92 for your reviews and to everyone who has favorited or followed this story! You guys are what keeps me going! Thank you for your support, and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!**

Chapter 5: Inside-Out

At 7:15 the next morning, Cailin got up and began to prepare herself for the day. She showered off and blow dried her hair. She made herself and omelet and toast and watched some cartoons on TV while she ate her breakfast. At 10, she faxed over the papers to the office and picked out her outfit for the day. She chose dark jeans, a gray top with a cream lace vest, black boots and her black pea coat. At 1:00, she stepped out of her car and walked into Cucini's. She spotted Balthazar instantly. He looked very dashing in his vest and shirt. She felt her pulse quicken as she walked over to him.

Balthazar had been sitting in the restaurant for 15 minutes by the time Cailin arrived. He hadn't wanted to be late as he tended to be, so he made a point to arrive early so she didn't beat him there. It turns out she was impeccably punctual.

He stood up as she approached the table, his long-sleeved shirt and vest newly ironed. _'She looks beautiful'_, he thought to himself as he watched her come closer, his heart beating a little faster. He sat down only after she taken her seat. The menus were brought shortly after and he picked up his casually.

"How are you doing today?" he asked pleasantly, eying her from over the top of the menu.

"I'm quite well. I was able to get all the paperwork squared away at the office, so I'm happy that was easily taken care of. How are you?" Cailin replied, tilting her head as she looked at him in a curious manner.

"I'm doing alright," he replied as he set the menu down. Before he could say anymore, though, the waiter approached them. "Are you both ready to order?"

Balthazar quirked an eyebrow at Cailin. "Ladies first," he insisted, smiling.

Cailin smiled back at Balthazar before turning to the waiter. "Can I have the baked ziti with water please?" she asked. The waiter nodded, writing this down, and turned to Balthazar. "And for you sir?" he asked.

"The penne vodka and a glass of merlot, thank you," Balthazar said politely as the waiter took their menus.

Silence fell over the table as the two waited for their food. Balthazar wracked his mind for _anything_ he could say to break the awkward air that had settled about them.

"Thank you again for going through such trouble to allow us to continue using your father's building," he finally said, his low voice seeping through the heavy silence.

A tinge of red colored Cailin's cheeks as a smile prickled at the corners of her lips. "It's not too much trouble. I think... I think my father would have done the same," she admitted.

Balthazar nodded thoughtfully, wincing inwardly at having unintentionally brought her father to mind. In an attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction, he asked, "So how long have you lived here?"

Cailin looked up at him. "I've lived in New York City all my life. My mother died when I was young, so I spent time with both my grandparents, and great grandparents while my dad was busy with work. I've visited London, Tokyo, and Rome, but otherwise I've pretty much been here. How about you? Have you always been here?" she asked.

Balthazar's mind whirred as he attempted to come up with an answer. "I was actually born in England," he stated, a hint of irony in his voice. Sure, he was born in England... almost 1350 years ago. "After my parents passed away, I moved here and, though I've traveled quite a bit, I've lived here ever since," he stated as closely to the truth as he could. It was close enough that she shouldn't question it too much. Hopefully she didn't ask for years, because he didn't feel like doing the math in his head.

Cailin looked at him in surprise. "You were born in London? Really? I've always loved London. It was a really great city but I wish I could remember it more. I was really young when I was last there. How about you? Do you remember much about it?" she asked.

"I remember it quite well," he said without hesitation. "I grew up there, so I have fond memories of it." It was true – he had grown up in a little English village and taken into Merlin's apprenticeship when he was seen to have magical ability. He hadn't really gone back the England since he left it, though, so he didn't know how it had changed. Best to change the subject. "So are you planning on continuing your father's business?" he asked. He could have hit himself for that one, but it was the first thing that had come to mind.

Cailin paused for a moment. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, that's what everyone expects of me. It just happened so fast that I haven't had a chance to take a step back and figure out what I want to do yet," she replied. After a moment's silence in an attempt to steer the conversation in a different direction, she asked, "How do you and Dave know each other?"

Balthazar had to think a moment. "Well, I met him ten years ago when he walked into my antique's shop, and I guess we just connected." He thought a little more. "He may be a little slow at times, but he's a good kid."

Cailin smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he seems really nice. I'm not going to lie though, I get this vibe from him. It feels like he's out to do something great. I don't know where it came from, but I just noticed it yesterday," Cailin said, shrugging.

"I hope so," Balthazar agreed, looking over at her curiously. Did she have some kind of magical sense? No... if she did, she would have sensed his magic. She _was_ Josselyn's descendant, though; there could be some residual magic in her DNA.

His thoughts were interrupted as the waiter brought their meals, setting their plates down in front of them. He thanked the waiter, then mumbled, "Wow, quick service."

"Yeah, they are pretty good with service here. I love coming here. Thanks for inviting me," Cailin said, smiling at Balthazar. She then picked up her fork and began eating her ziti. "Mhmm, this is so good. How's yours?" she asked after swallowing her first bite.

He smiled. "It's good," he said genuinely, slightly surprised. He hadn't really eaten here often because of his constant traveling, so the last time he had come, it had been a new restaurant just breaking into the city. He took a sip of his wine, glancing at Cailin over the rim. How had he ended up dining with this beautiful woman again? It didn't seem real.

Cailin smiled. "I'm glad. I tend to stick to my comfort food, so I honestly haven't tried much else on the menu. I'm glad you like it though. So what else do you have to do today other than have lunch with me?" Cailin asked, curious to know more about Balthazar.

Balthazar shook his head. "Nothing except going back to the lab and –" He stopped suddenly, his expression immediately becoming shocked, then serious and finally apologetic. Dave was in trouble, magical trouble. At his current level of training, he wouldn't pose much problem to a normal human, never mind a trained sorcerer. He needed help. Now.

"I am really sorry, Cailin, but I forgot I had to do something now," he said hurriedly, rifling through his pockets and setting down enough cash to cover the meal and tip. "That should cover everything. Again, I am so sorry," he repeated as he started out of the restaurant.

Cailin watched Balthazar run out. A part of her felt a bit hurt, but she understood. From the way his attitude did a 180, she would've joked that he was a Jedi and sensed "a disturbance in the force." However, now her curiosity was peaked. "Balthazar, I'll come with you," she said, grabbing her purse as she stood up. If something was seriously wrong, he might need some help in dealing with it.

Balthazar halted at her words, whipping around to face her. "Cailin..." he caught himself before he said it would be too dangerous. "It...it's a private meeting," he lied badly, fairly certain she would see through it. "Umm...with Dave," he added in a last ditch effort to save what dignity he had left.

Cailin raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay. I'll see you later then," she said, sitting herself back down.

Balthazar was relieved when she seemed to believe him, or at least trust him enough to stay out of it. "Again, really sorry," he said, then rushed out the door onto the street.

He jumped into his car and sped over to Dave's school, practically vaulting out of the car as soon as it stopped. He ran towards the magic, apparently coming from the boy's bathroom. "Wonderful," he thought sarcastically as he barreled inside.

Balthazar was not expecting to see what he did when he walked into the bathroom. Horvath had Dave's head up near a mirror and a flamboyant man with a mohawk watched them with sick glee.

"You're a horrible liar," Horvath told Dave, smiling greasily.

"That's what I keep telling him," Balthazar quipped, blasting magic at the goth man. He then faced Horvath, who's smug smile had faltered a hint. Balthazar, for his part, fought hard to keep his own smirk. Inside, he raged in anger. He prepared a plasma bolt. "Let the boy go, Horvath. Or do you enjoy tormenting little boys," he spat in challenge.

Horvath sneered. "I should have dealt with you long before I dispatched Merlin," he snapped, letting go of the boy and pointing his staff at Balthazar. The silence in the room was deadly.

Cailin watched as Balthazar left, then quickly hopped into her own car. She followed Balthazar's car, keeping a good distance between her and him. She watched as he parked his car by NYU and sprinted up the steps. She followed suit and noticed that he ran toward the boy's bathroom. "That's a weird place to have a meeting," she commented to herself.

Cailin peered around the corner of the bathroom and saw Balthazar blast the man into the lockers in the back. But he hadn't moved at all. It was like.. like magic. Her eyes widened as she watched Horvath and Balthazar argue, especially when Horvath mentioned Merlin. But Merlin had lived 1300 years ago, these guys weren't _that_ old, were they? She crept further into the bathroom, trying to get closer.

Dave noticed Cailin before anyone else did. "Cailin?" he asked aloud. "What are you doing here?"

Her name alone was enough to break Balthazar's tunnel vision on Horvath. "Cailin?" he muttered disbelievingly, turning towards the door to see if she really was there. It was at that moment that Horvath struck, sending a fireball straight at Balthazar.

The fire struck Balthazar squarely in the chest, knocking him off of his feet and crashing him into the wall behind him. Horvath glanced at Cailin with critical eyes before sauntering towards Balthazar's crumpled form.

"So you've got another girl now, is that it?" he spat, now standing before Balthazar, watching the girl again. "She doesn't look to be anything special. What happened to your undying love for Veronica, hmm?" Horvath sneered. "_I_ still love her even _after_ she rejected me!" he screamed, turning a glaring gaze back at Balthazar.

Cailin flinched when this "Veronica" was mentioned. She should have realized that there might be someone else in Balthazar's life. However, she wasn't about to let this creeper hit Balthazar while he was down. She picked up the trash can and chucked it at Horvath's head. "Leave him alone you jerk," she yelled. It probably wasn't her best idea, but it was all that she could think to do.

Horvath sent a searing glare towards Cailin, his eyes glinting maliciously as he swatted the can away easily. "She's not even magical, Balthazar! My have your standards dropped!" he taunted, pointing his staff at the woman.

Balthazar groaned, picking himself up from the rubble in time to see Horvath threaten Cailin. He quickly conjured a lightning spell, shooting it at Horvath. The other magician avoided it, but it gave Balthazar time to stand again. "Sure, you loved Veronica so much you were willing to let Morgana kill her during the siege!" he exclaimed, glaring at the Morganian. Balthazar grabbed Horvath's staff, using it to push him towards the now-enchanted bathroom mirror. Just before he shoved him in, he reveled in the fear on Horvath's face and growled, "If you ever threaten her again, I'll make sure you are never able to stand again." With that, he thrust him into the mirror. He then threw the gothic man into one of the bathroom stalls and locked the door behind him. "Dave, grab Cailin and take her to the car," he ordered, waving them out while he tried to thing of the easiest way to put everything back into order.

Dave quickly made his over to Cailin. He quickly grabbed her hands and felt her shaking. "Come on Cailin, let's get you to the car now," he told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he led her out to where Balthazar's car was parked. He helped her into the backseat, buckling her in when it didn't seem she could do it herself. "I don't think anything makes sense anymore," she whispered to Dave.

"It will," Dave replied before shutting her door. He quickly climbed into the front passenger's seat, praying for Balthazar to hurry up. He was worried about Cailin since she hadn't stopped shaking yet.

Balthazar quickly cleaned up the mess they had made in the bathroom and, once the bathroom looked semi-decent again, he rushed out to the car, trying to be back at the lab before the flamboyant man woke. He rushed into the front seat, putting it into gear before he even made sure Cailin and Dave were in there.

"Are you both alright?" he asked urgently, glancing into his rear view mirror as he sped out of the parking lot.

Dave looked over at his master. "I'm fine. I'm not sure Cailin is. She hasn't stopped shaking yet," he replied, glancing over his shoulder at the brunette. Dave turned back to look at Balthazar. "What exactly are we going to tell her?" he asked as Balthazar sped through the city toward the lab.

Balthazar sighed. There had been a _reason_ he hadn't wanted her following him, but in his haste and trust, he hadn't even check to see that she had tailed him, a mistake he wouldn't make again. "We'll tell her what we have to. Now that Horvath has seen her, she's been dragged into this just as much as we are," he replied solemnly, glancing back at her through the rear view mirror. She was, in fact, shaking.

Cailin was trying to calm herself down. She was so confused. How had Balthazar and that other man done all of those things? It couldn't have been magic, could it? It was a trick, CGI, something else, _anything_ else, but deep down she knew it hadn't been a trick. Her life had just been altered irreversibly and she wondered what she had gotten herself into.

The car ride was mostly a blur to Cailin. She knew Dave and Balthazar were talking about her, but she couldn't focus on the conversation. She only became aware of her surroundings again as Balthazar lifted her out of the car. She blushed and clung tightly to the lapels of his jacket. After heading down the many corridors, she felt Balthazar placing her gently into a chair. She watched his expression, which betrayed his worry. Cailin watched as Dave ran off to go grab some tea, and a few minutes later, Balthazar placed a warm cup into her hands. "Are you okay?" she heard him he ask soothingly.

Cailin sipped the tea absently, staring tiredly in front of her. "I'm honestly not sure. I'm just really confused right now. In the span of a half hour everything I've known has changed... You can do magic. That seems to be the root of this all right now. And that you can maybe travel through time since that guy brought up Merlin. I'm just not really sure about much any more," she replied honestly, glancing up at him hesitantly.

Balthazar stared into her eyes again, her very familiar eyes. He smiled comfortingly. "Well, you're almost right. We're going to let you rest for a while. When you feel better, I'll tell you whatever you want to know," he told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do you need anything else right now?"

Cailin felt a slight blush rise to her cheeks when Balthazar placed his hand on her shoulder. She paused for a moment, before shaking her head. "I.. I think I'm okay for now. Thank you though. For everything. Do you want me to leave the room so you two can talk?" she asked, gesturing between Balthazar and Dave.

Balthazar shook his head. "You stay here and get better. If we need to talk, we'll talk elsewhere." He squeezed her shoulder gently for comfort, then walked over towards Dave.

Dave watched the exchange with interest, and when Balthazar walked over towards him, a small, knowing smile was over his face. "What," Balthazar half-growled, walking past Dave to the far end of the building.

"You definitely like her," Dave said smugly as he followed. Balthazar rolled his eyes and sighed. He had been right: he wouldn't hear the end of this for a while.

Cailin slowly lifted the cup to her lips, sipping the warm beverage. Normally, she wasn't a tea person, but the drink brought her some comfort now. She wondered what Dave and Balthazar were talking about. She felt bad that she hadn't trusted what Balthazar had said, but she had been really worried about them. Cailin felt exhaustion wash over her. The events of the day had been very crazy. She let out a sigh and waited for the two men to come back.

Balthazar and Dave talked over the events of the day: When the attack had happened, what had occurred immediately before the attack, if Dave recognized the other man that attacked him and other things of that sort. Then the topic turned to Cailin.

"So how much are out going to tell her?" Dave asked hesitantly. Was he planning on telling her about the fact he had been born 1350 years ago? And what about Veronica?

Balthazar struggled with those same questions. He would have to tell her the truth, which also meant telling her the truth about Josselyn and him... and admitting his own feelings towards her ancestor. He didn't know if he could do that to her, but what other choice did he have? He glanced over at the now-slumbering woman before walking briskly towards the stairs. He was going to need a whole lot of time with his thoughts before he would be ready to confess everything to the woman he'd grown to care so much for.


	6. Chapter 6: The Truth

**You know, I always promised myself if I ever wrote a story and posted it online, I would never keep my fans waiting. Unfortunately, work and school had pushed writing to the back burner for a while. This update is for all of you who have waited for me, and especially toboeokami, who's review finally snapped me out of my work for long enough to turn this out!**

**A dozen cookies to PureAngelEyes, Greenwood Archer, Samanthatm, and toboeokami for their reviews and to all of you who have favorited or followed this story! I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! **

Chapter 6: The Truth

A few hours later, Balthazar checked on Cailin. He glanced at Dave, who had been keeping an eye on her. "How has she been?" he asked softly.

Dave shrugged. "She seems like she's been alright. She just woke up a few minutes ago and was asking for you."

Balthazar nodded absently, his eyes meeting Cailin's from across the room. "Good... good," he replied. "I'll go talk to her then." The sorcerer shot Dave another quick look before walking over to where Cailin sat, pressure building on his shoulders with every step. He really should have prepared for this better, he thought regretfully as he finally reached her chair. She did look better, but there was still a worried draw to her features. "Feeling any better?" the sorcerer asked with some concern.

"I think I am. I mean, I stopped shaking finally. That tea really did help. How are you?" she asked back, glancing between him and Dave, who was standing a fair stretch to her right. She wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen now.

Balthazar smiled at her. "Don't worry about me, right now it's you we're worried about," he replied soothingly. He took a deep breath to prepare himself, pulling a chair over in front of her and sitting down, preparing himself for the undoubtedly long string of questions that had undoubtedly built up over the past few hours.

Cailin smiled at Balthazar. "Thanks," she replied. There was silence for a few moments before Cailin looked up at Balthazar. "So, should I just start asking you questions and we'll see where that takes us or are there certain things you're willing to tell me now?" she asked, unsure of how to continue.

Balthazar hesitated. "I guess I should start with the basics," he began, looking her square in the eye. "I am a sorcerer. Dave is a sorcerer, as well, and so were the two men from before." He took a small break for her to absorb this before pressing on. "Over 1300 years ago, the man with the staff you saw earlier, Horvath, and I were Merlin's apprentices along with a woman, Veronica. Horvath, however, was unhappy with how things were in Merlin's castle, so he betrayed us to Morgana, the most powerful witch of the time and Merlin's arch rival." Again, he paused, but this time for his own benefit. He hadn't thought back to those final moment in a while and it was hard for him to break down that barrier again.

"They killed Merlin and everyone else in the castle. In an effort to stop Morgana, Veronica trapped the witch inside of her and locked herself in a magical prison: the Grimhold." He pulled the doll out from the folds of his coat to show her, holding it in his hands delicately like a porcelain figurine. "I am the only Merlinian who survived that day and I've spent my life hunting down the Morganians to find the Grimhold so I can save Veronica." His eyes clouded over a little at his words, but he cleared them quickly with a blink. "However, in order to save her, I have to release Morgana, as well. It was predicted that a descendant of Merlin would be able to stop her. That's where Dave comes in," he explained, a bit of a smile on his face, "He is Merlin's descendant – the Prime Merlinian." He was silent for a moment, his eyes meeting Cailin's briefly, causing his smile to twitch a bit wider. "So that's the basic story," he ended, his face passive once again. "I'm sure you have some questions..."

Cailin sat in stunned silence. That… was a lot to process. She took a moment and let everything settle in her mind. She felt bad for Balthazar, he had lost both his friends and his teacher in one night. "I'm very sorry," Cailin offered, thinking of which question would be the least painful to start off with first. "How have you lived for over 1300 years?" she asked finally. The man certainly didn't look his age.

Balthazar let out a short breath, glad for a simple question. "Merlin put a spell on his apprentices so we could live on to find to Prime Merlinian, Dave, so he could defeat Morgana," he stated. "But after Morgana is defeated, if she's defeated, I will begin to age again," he said steadily. Inside, though, he was a bit apprehensive. Having been alive so long, he hadn't really thought about the possibility of death.

Cailin nodded. That was really interesting. She then remembered a name that Balthazar had just mentioned and that Horvath had brought up in the bathroom. "So who exactly is Veronica?" she asked. She was a bit worried that he wouldn't answer her but she was curious to know more about this woman.

Balthazar paused for a moment, wondering how much he should tell Cailin. He didn't want to hurt her, but at the same time, he didn't want to hide things from her, either. He sighed. Either way, his answer would not be an easy one.

"As I said before, she was an apprentice of Merlin's. I worked with her for most of my time there, as she, Horvath and I were Merlin's main three apprentices." He stopped for a second, glancing at Cailin. The hell with it... "I was also in love with her," he said evenly, trying to gauge her reaction. "That's why Horvath betrayed us: Veronica loved me and not him." He held his breath as he waited for her response.

Cailin froze. She wasn't too sure what she thought about that. She felt bad that Balthazar for losing his love but she also felt a pang of jealousy. She should have realized that there was a chance that there would be someone else in his life. Admitting all of this probably pained him more than she could imagine, so she hid her feelings as best she could. "I'm really sorry. It always hurts to lose the people you love most."

Balthazar could see she was a bit taken aback when he said he had loved Veronica, but honestly, his own emotions were tumultuous over the issue right now. He was confused; more confused than he had been for a while now. A tense silence fell over them and Cailin shifted uneasily. Hoping to get away from the more painful topics, she asked, "So what exactly is the circle on the ground?" She had noticed the symbol earlier and not thought much of it, but with discovery of magic, she supposed it had some function.

Balthazar shot out of his reverie, just barely catching her question. "Oh, that's Merlin's Circle. I've been using it to train Dave on how to use magic," he explained. "He's still learning, though," he said with a small smirk, causing a "Hey!" to erupt from Dave.

Cailin laughed as Dave looked angrily at his master. "Balthazar," she started again as another question popped into her mind, "you once told me that I had eyes like some you knew, who was murdered. And in the library yesterday, you reacted to Josselyn's name. Did you know her?" Cailin hesitantly asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer or not.

Again, Balthazar hesitated. Had he _really _known her? It still bothered him that she'd had children and he hadn't known about it. "I did know her," he answered reluctantly. "She was my assistant."

Cailin looked up at him, surprised. "I didn't know that," she said.

"It's not something I tend to talk about," he admitted. "She was killed in the raid on Merlin's castle."

Cailin stopped and looked up at Balthazar. She could see the hurt in his eyes. Over 1300 years, and the pain was still there. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." she apologized awkwardly, placing her hand on top of Balthazar's. "My great grandfather's journal never mentioned anything like that."

He flipped his hand so her palm nestled in his. "It's a part of history that isn't particularly flaunted, especially with the decline of belief in magic," he explained. His thumb instinctively traced circles on the back of her hand. "That's the past, though," he said after a moment, looking at Cailin again. "Any other questions?" he asked curiously.

Cailin liked the feeling of her hand in his, though she was having trouble focusing on what he was saying since he kept making those circles on the back of her hand. She was so absorbed in his touch that she almost missed his question. Cailin tilting her head to the side in thought. "So, what happens now? I mean, the creepy guy saw me with you. What do I do now?" she asked.

"Well," Balthazar started, "it might be best if you stay with one of us for a few nights. Seeing as Dave has a roommate, you should probably stay with me, if you're comfortable with that." Dave smirked from behind Cailin, causing Balthazar to send him a quick glare before returning his eyes to Cailin's, anticipating her response.

Cailin looked at Balthazar in surprise before casting her eyes to the side. Stay with him? Alone? Part of her was a bit excited, but the rest of her was nervous. She barely knew the man, when she really thought about it. Lunch was one thing, but this move would put them in far more intimate quarters. From what Balthazar had said about Horvath, though, the man should not be taken lightly. "Alright. I'll stay a few nights here with you. But I should probably get some clothes and such from my house first," she said, glancing back at him.

The sorcerer nodded understandingly. "That's fine. I'll drive you over to your house so you can pick up what you need and then, if you want, I can take you to your car, which I assume is at NYU?" he said, a knowing glint in his eye. "After that you can follow me back to where I live," he stated finally, looking to her for confirmation.

Cailin nodded, a fine blush gracing her cheeks at the mention of her car. She had completely forgotten about it with everything that had happened in the past few hours. "That sounds fine. When do you want to leave?" she asked, a spark of excitement building within her. Now that she had made up her mind, she was curious to see Balthazar's home.

"We can leave as soon as you're ready," Balthazar replied, standing from his chair and offering his hand to her with a small smile. "Are you ready?" he asked a bit awkwardly.

Cailin smiled back at him. "I am," she replied, taking his hand. She wondered at how warm his hand felt. It was calloused, probably from years of laboring without magic.

He pulled her up, then let go of her soft hand and led her to the stairwell. Before he left, though, he turned to Dave. "Don't scare that girl who's coming over too much, Dave!" he joked before whisking his way up to the surface level.

Cailin let Balthazar lead her up the stairs. She took another look at Balthazar's car and was stunned. "Great car," she told him as she climbed into the front seat, buckling herself in. She was excited to spend more time with Balthazar, even though worry niggled in the back of her mind about the people who may now be hunting her.

"Thanks," Balthazar said proudly as he revved the car and back it out smoothly into the street, making a beeline for her house. He glanced over at Cailin as he drove. She seemed like she was better, but he wanted to be sure.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Balthazar asked. "I know that is a lot to have explained to you at once..."

Cailin looked over at Balthazar as he spoke. "I think I am okay. It is a lot to process, but I think I'm okay with it all. How are you? That fireball did not look nice at all," she said shuddering.

Balthazar brushed off his jacket with one hand, his eyes on the road. "Flame-retardant jacket," he said proudly. "It knocked the wind out of me for a moment, but otherwise, there wasn't any harm." A few minutes later, he pulled into her driveway. He turned to her. "You should pack anything you need for a couple of nights and you might want to bring anything that's important to you. Horvath might try to attack your house and if he doesn't find you there, there's a chance he'll try to burn the house down," he said somberly, meeting her eyes. "Do you want me to stay in the car, or do you want me to go in with you?" he asked, wanting to respect her privacy.

"Can you wait down here for me?" she asked. He made a good point, though an unpleasant one. She wanted some time alone with her house, just in case this was the last time she saw it standing.

Balthazar nodded, leaving the engine running while Cailin exited the car. He wanted to be able to make a quick getaway if Horvath _did_ show up, though he doubted he would. Hopefully he was still trapped in the mirror. He leaned back in his seat and waited patiently for her to return.

Cailin stepped out of the elevator and into her father's home, tears welling up in her eyes. While her father did have other homes in the city, this one was by far her favorite. She quickly made her way to her room and pulled out a suitcase. She loaded her favorite stuffed dog, her pillow, and blankets along with all her toiletries. Into the other suitcase went her clothes and shoes. Not all of her clothing was in this house, since her father had been a bit paranoid at times and made her split up her wardrobe between the three properties. Cailin then ran into the library and pulled the family tapestry from its frame and grabbed her great grandfather's journal from the table. After placing those into the suitcase, she made her way into her father's room to find the old scrapbooks her mother had made. After stowing all of this away, she zipped up the suitcases and took one last look around the house. It felt weird for her to think that this might not be here when she returned. She then made her way back to Balthazar, wiping a few tears from her eyes as she approached the car.

As soon as Balthazar saw Cailin come back out of the house, he jumped out of the car and helped her load her suitcases in the car. It wasn't until he closed the trunk that he noticed her eyes were welled with tears. He put a hand on her shoulder, tilting her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "It will be alright, Cailin," he said softly. "There's no guarantee that Horvath will come here, so don't worry too much about the house. Right now we're just preparing for the worst." He wasn't sure if he was saying the right thing – he had never been very good with the whole comforting business.

Cailin looked up into Balthazar's eyes. "I know. It's just weird to think of it as a possibility. But thank you, for everything you've done for me," Cailin said in reply. She felt really touched by Balthazar's concern for her. This whole day had been a roller coaster of emotions, and now she was starting to feel very tired from it. She looked back over at Balthazar and felt awkward for a moment. "I know this is a weird thing to ask, but it usually helps me feel better. Can I have a hug?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of how he would take it.

Balthazar blinked in confusion, then grinned, answering not through words but by pulling her into his arms. He felt his heart speed up as her chin rested on his shoulder, her breath tickling his neck. Was this... normal? He vaguely remembered the sensation from when he had been near Josselyn or Veronica, but those times had been so long ago that the fluttering in his stomach was foreign to him.

Cailin felt safe, protected, and comforted by Balthazar's hug. All too soon, though, she pulled away. "Thanks," she said, looking up at him. She stared at him for a few moments before saying anything else. "We should probably head out now, shouldn't we?" she asked.

Balthazar sighed. "Yeah, we should," he replied, taking his arms from her and sliding back into the driver's seat, pulling out of the driveway once Cailin was back in her seat. They drove to NYU where Balthazar pulled into the same parking lot he had used before. He turned to Cailin. "Do you feel comfortable following me to my place in your car?" he asked.

Cailin nodded in reply. "I think I am. Just don't go driving off too fast. I don't think I'll be able to follow you if you do," she said in a joking tone before sliding out of the car. She pulled her car keys out of her purse before climbing into her car and starting the engine. She gave Balthazar the signal that she was okay to go.

Balthazar nodded and drove slowly out into the street, checking behind him almost neurotically to make sure she was still behind him. They drove for about ten minutes before they finally approached the older part of town. He slowed near his shop, parking in one of his designated spots and waiting to exit his car until Cailin had parked as well. Once she had, he unlocked the door, then went to help her with her bags before letting her in.

Cailin looked up at the shop. It would be hard to find if she hadn't had Balthazar to lead her here. It looked.. old from the outside. She was curious to see what it looked like inside. As she entered the store, there were stacks of items everywhere. She carefully maneuvered through the stacks, worried about touching anything since she didn't know what any of it could do.

Balthazar carried her bags to the stairs, waiting for her to catch up before leading her up them. As he watched her weave through the stacks of paraphernalia, he couldn't help but draw parallels to the way Josselyn walked through his lab to avoid the books he kept piled on his floor. He quickly shoved the thought from his mind. Cailin _wasn't_ Josselyn. He couldn't think of her in that way; it wouldn't be fair to either of them if he did.

When they reached the top of the stairs, he showed her to an empty room, setting her bags down before saying, "This is where you'll be staying," he explained. "Do you want me to help you set up, or would you rather do that yourself?" he asked.

Cailin looked over at Balthazar. "You can help me. Though, I'd rather you didn't unpack my bag with the clothes," she said, grabbing the handle of the suitcase. She then opened the door of the room and headed in. She was glad to be somewhere safe so she could eventually sleep; today had exhausted her. The room was small and sparingly furnished, but she loved it. She rolled her suitcase over to the dresser and began to unpack things.

Balthazar unzipped her other bag and began to take things out, placing them neatly about the room. He was no decorator, so he didn't want to try to hang anything up. She also wasn't going to be there for too long, much to his dismay.

Cailin quickly put all her clothes away and began to help Balthazar put her other things away. When they had finished, she turned to him and smiled. "Thanks for all your help, and for letting me stay here. It's really sweet of you," she told him. "I'm really glad I met you guys, even if there's a crazy sorcerer who might come after me now."

"It's not a problem," Balthazar said sincerely, smiling at the bit about the crazed sorcerer. After a moment of comfortable silence, he said, "Well, you've had a long day; I'm sure you're tired. Get some sleep. I'm in the room down the hall if you need me." He squeezed her shoulder warmly.

"Thank you," Cailin said sincerely. Then, in the moment, she stood up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to Balthazar's cheek. "You've done so much for me. I hope you sleep well," she said, before grabbing some pajamas and heading into the bathroom to change. A light blush covered her cheeks as she turned away from Balthazar.

The sorcerer stood for a moment rolling through what had just happened in his mind. His cheek tingled where her lips had been and his fingers touched it lightly as if trying to capture the sensation. He shook himself out of his reverie and went down to the basement of the shop to lock up and do a quick check of inventory, partly because he should and partly because it kept him from thinking too much about the past when Veronica used to kiss his cheek.

When he was finished downstairs, he crept back up past Cailin's room and into his own, quickly changing into pajamas before slipping between his sheets, his dreams filled with a certain woman and her tantalizing eyes.


	7. Chapter 7: The Day After

**Hello everyone! There's been a lot of activity on this story lately, so I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as I could!**

**All of my gratitude to Tiryn, loulouflowerpower, Lucia123, and my two anons for reviewing and to everyone else who favorited or is following this story! It makes my day to know that someone else is enjoying the story my friend and I have weaved, so thank you! Please enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 7: The Day After

The next morning, Balthazar woke sluggishly, taking a while to distinguish his dream from reality. He did not dream often, so when he did, it tended to disorient him. He slipped out of bed, taking a quick shower and changing before he went to his makeshift kitchen to brew himself a cup of coffee. As he sipped his drink, he tried to remember what he had dreamed, but no matter how long he pondered it, he could not remember. He frowned. He had the distinct feeling it related to something recent, but he could not recall the details.

Cailin woke up to the smell of coffee. She rubbed her eyes and continuously blinked, trying to clear her vision. She climbed out of bed and followed the smell of the coffee. She found the treasure on the second floor along with Balthazar, who looked like he was trying to remember something important. "Good morning. Forget something?" she asked, as she walked further into the kitchen. The floor felt a bit cold to her bare feet, but she was wearing pants and a t-shirt, so she was still warm.

Balthazar shook his head, shaking himself from his thoughts. "It's nothing. Did you sleep well?" As he glanced up into Cailin's speckled gray eyes, they sparked memories of his dream, but the more he tried to remember them, the blurrier his mental images became.

Cailin nodded. "I slept really well," she said. There were a few moments of silence as Cailin studied the kitchen. She was confused. While everything had made sense last night, now, she just felt lost. Spells to prevent aging, Balthazar knowing Josselyn, and even magic existing! She rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. "I have a few questions for you Balthazar. Is it okay for me to still ask them?" she asked.

Balthazar blinked a few times at Cailin before saying, "Of course." He set his mug on the counter. "Do you want something to drink while we talk?" he asked politely. He had been a little worried that this would happen; she had probably still been in shock the day before, but with sleep and time she had worked her out of it and realized the gravity of their situation.

Cailin nodded. "Coffee is fine," she said. All last night, things had been running through her head. Magic was real and Balthazar was a sorcerer. "I have more questions about Josselyn. Was she magical? I mean, if she was in Merlin's court, she'd have to be, right?" Cailin started out, unsure of where to start.

Balthazar prepared her coffee as he explained, "Josselyn had magical ability, yes. She wasn't as magically inclined as Horvath, Veronica and I, but she did have a decent magical potential." He smiled fondly as he turned back around with her coffee. "She didn't flaunt her abilities, though. She was fairly modest about her power." He handed the mug to her, his hand brushing against hers as he did.

Cailin took the cup into her hands, skin tingling from where his hand brushed hers. She pondered over the information. There was a chance, and to find out, there was no better way than to ask. "Is magic genetic? I mean, does it pass down from generations to generations?" she asked, watching as Balthazar sat back down across from her.

Balthazar was shocked by the question, then thought about it. _Was_ magic genetic? The Prime Merlinian was the descendant of Merlin, so maybe it was.

"It might be," he admitted, taking his own cup back up and sipping the coffee. "Although I would imagine if it was, it might degrade over time," he mused aloud.

Cailin nodded, surprised that _he_ was surprised at the question. "So say hypothetically that someone has had weird things happening around them their whole life. Could that possibly be a sign of magic? Or is it just by chance that these things are happening?" she asked. She didn't know what to think at this point.

Balthazar finally realized where Cailin was going with this line of questioning and chuckled. "You might have a little magic in your veins, Cailin, enough to make little things happen around you, but not enough to probably learn how to control," he explained, draining his mug and setting it down again. "I think if you did have magic, though, you would probably be like Josselyn with it." He wasn't sure why he added in that last it, but he felt it was right to say.

Cailin looked up at him surprised. "Thanks. But seriously, it's not funny when you're five and pots fell off the kitchen shelf and your cousins blamed it on the ghost. I couldn't sleep for weeks after that happened," she said, taking another sip from her coffee cup. "But it's good to know there's a reason for what's been going on. I thought I was just being haunted," she said in a frank manner.

Balthazar looked up at Cailin. "I'm sorry. That can't have been easy," he admitted, "but as far as I know, ghosts and apparitions don't exist. It's just the result of minorly magical humans not knowing how to control their magic, similar to your case." Bringing up Cailin's relation to Josselyn was beginning to make him uncomfortable, though he didn't show it. It just reminded him that she had been with another man. A man not him.

He cleared his throat. "Do you happen to know who Josselyn's husband was?" he asked hesitantly, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

Cailin glanced over at Balthazar. He seemed unsure of himself. "His name was never really mentioned, only his last name which was McBride. He died a few months after they had married. I think Josselyn was in her early twenties then. She had a son after her husband died, and he carried on the line," Cailin said, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. There really wasn't that much information on the times Josselyn was alive. Whatever her great grandfather had been able to dig up had been spotty at best. She looked over at Balthazar and hoped this information would help him some how. He still seemed to be hurting over something about Josselyn and that worried her.

"I see," he finally responded, feeling a bit better, but still slightly uneasy. He set his mug in the sink and glanced at Cailin. "If you want, you can follow me down to the shop and we can continue our discussion there?" he asked, hoping she would.

Cailin looked down at her clothes. "Do you mind if I change first? I'd really love to continue the discussion, but I probably shouldn't spend my whole day in pajamas," she said, shrugging as a shy smile slipped onto her face.

Balthazar looked at what she was wearing and realized that, yes, she was still in her pajamas. "Oh, yes, I didn't realize..." he trailed off, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'll be down in the shop if you need me," he spouted, rushing from the room.

Balthazar busied himself with his work as he worked out his embarrassment. His embarrassment? He would have thought thousands of years would have jaded embarrassment right from him.

He heard a rustling outside in the shop and peered out, seeing Cailin walking through the stacks that littered his shop. He quickly set down his work and went out to greet her. "I see you found me," he joked, smiling at her.

Cailin nodded. "Yeah, I think that I'd stand a pretty good chance of getting lost in here," she replied, looking over at the sorcerer. "So, what are you up to?" she asked, shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other.

Balthazar smiled unconsciously. "I'm looking over some recent acquisitions to make sure they aren't dangerous," he answered. He looked Cailin in the eye. "Make sure you don't disturb anything here. Most of it it harmless to touch, but just be careful," he begged. If Cailin was hurt because of something in his store, he would probably shoot himself in the foot.

Cailin nodded, and then tried to discreetly inch away from a dagger she had gotten a little _too_ close to. She noticed a flash of color out of the corner of her eye, and wandered over to a book that was lying on the table. The cover was leather and there was a stone set in the front of the book. "Balthazar? What is this book for?" she asked, making sure she was a good distance away from the object, not even wanting to breathe on anything.

Balthazar walked over and looked at the book she mentioned. He almost chuckled at her nervousness. "That's the book sorcerers live by. It's called the Incantus. It contains the history of magic and all of the events that are impacted by it. It's harmless." He smiled. "Do you want to see it?" he asked, glancing at her as he picked up the heavy leather-bound book. and holding it out to her.

Cailin let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "I'd love to take a look at it," she said as she gently took it into her arms. She was really awed by this book. The _whole_ history of magic? She really wanted to find a chair and read through the book. Even if she couldn't use whatever little gift she had, it be really interesting to still learn about it. "It's not as heavy as I thought it'd be," she commented to Balthazar.

Balthazar led her over to a chair for her to sit down in, then said, "Well, that's because it's not open yet." He then proceeded to flip open the book, making it larger and larger until it was like a thin picture book, then put his hand on top of it, making the book at least 30 times thicker. He placed his hand underneath it to help Cailin hold it's weight and smirked at her, his fingers brushing over the back of her hand. "You might not want to read this in your lap," he joked.

Cailin stared wide-eyed at the true size of the book. It was huge! She felt a blush rise to her cheeks from the touch of Balthazar's hand on the back of hers. "Yeah, I think it might just crush me. Do you have a table in here where I could read this?" she asked. She was getting a bit distracted by the fact that his fingers kept brushing gently over the back of her hand.

He nodded and, keeping one hand underneath the book to balance it, beckoned over a small but sturdy table for her too read on. He helped her carry it over and set it down with a substantial thud, missing the feel of her hand beneath his. "When you're done with it, just let me know and I'll put it away. I'm going to continue looking through my newer items; will you be alright?" he asked. He didn't want to leave her, but he had a shop to run.

Cailin missed the contact she had with Balthazar, but nodded in response to his question. "You go take care of your shop. I should be good for a few hours here," she told him as she settled herself into the chair.

Balthazar nodded and, with a short bow and a smirk, walked back to the back room and sighed. Now to vet more objects for his floundering antiques shop. If he hadn't been collecting money for 1300 years, he would have starved with how his business was going.

Cailin opened the book and soon found herself lost in the pages. There were so many interesting facts. After about a half hour, she stumbled across a picture of Josselyn. She looked at her ancestor in awe. There was very little resemblance between them, except for their gray eyes. Their eyes were identical. Cailin let her fingers run over Josselyn's face, wishing she knew more about her. She heard a shuffling a few stacks behind her, and she turned around, expecting to see Balthazar there. He wasn't, but the noise was. Assuming it was a pet, Cailin set out to investigate the noise.

After about a half an hour of observing antiques, Balthazar was ready to take a break. After over a hundred years of looking at antiques, he could only immerse himself in them for so long, now. He decided to look for Cailin and see what she thought of the Incantus. Josselyn had always been intrigued by it, maybe Cailin would be, too. However, when he went back to the chair he had left her at, he saw the Incantus there, but not Cailin. "Cailin?" he called, searching the immediate area. Maybe she'd had to use the restroom?

Cailin followed the sound of the shuffling. She had gone farther back in the stacks than she planned to, and cursed her curiosity. Just as she heard Balthazar call out her name, she cornered the mystery noisemaker. Oddly enough, it was a book. It was odd to see a book moving by itself, and she knelt down near it. It rotated about in her direction. "It's okay. I won't hurt you," she said. Maybe sorcerer's kept charmed books as pets. She reached out to touch the book. However, that did not work out in her favor. The book apparently did not like to be touched. Instead it opened up and snapped shut on the middle of her palm. Cailin let out a scream. She quickly smashed the book into the wall and cradled her hand against her chest as the book flopped to the ground, apparently stunned. She felt tears prickling in her eyes.

Balthazar heard Cailin's scream and rushed towards the sound, finding Cailin cradling her hand and a book trying to scuttle away.

Balthazar instantly kicked the book against the wall, stunning it long enough to wrap a belt around it. As soon as he was done, he ran over to Cailin. "Are you alright?" he asked hurriedly, watching her eyes as a tear trailed down her cheek unchecked. He wiped it away tenderly with his thumb as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Here, give me your hand," he requested, holding his hand out for her.

She was a bit reluctant to let him have her hand, but after a moment, she gently placed it in his hand. She could easily see the marks that bled from where the book bit her. "I don't really think I'll be a match for Horvath if I can't take care of a book," she said, trying to joke through her tears. She had been more startled than anything, but her hand did hurt.

Balthazar took her hand and held it gingerly between his own, concentrating on the wound. A few sparks flew from his hand and entered the injury, slowly causing the wound to disappear. After a moment, Balthazar took his hand from on top of hers and observed the newly healed skin. He glanced up at her with a smile. "Feel better?" he asked, pulling a bandage from midair and wrapping it around her hand.

"Yes, it does. Thank you," she said blushing. She wasn't sure how to react. What was the proper response to someone who had just magically healed you?

Balthazar smiled and glanced up at her. "You're welcome," he said teasingly. He suddenly thought of something and pulled her towards him gently by her hand, making sure not to put pressure on her recently mended wound. "Don't worry about Horvath. I'll make sure nothing happens to you," he said lowly in answer to her earlier concern. He then dipped his head down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

Cailin stepped toward Balthazar as he pulled on her hand. She felt butterflies explode in her stomach from how close they were. She blushed as she felt his lips touch her skin. Cailin looked up into Balthazar's blue eyes. She could feel herself getting lost in his eyes. "Thank you. I'm honestly not sure where I would be without your help" she said sincerely.

"You wouldn't need my help if I hadn't gotten you involved," he apologized, staring deeply into her eyes. Her blush complimented her well, he thought. With some surprise, he noticed they were slowly easing closer to each other.

"If I hadn't gotten involved, I wouldn't have gotten to meet you and Dave. That would have been one of the regrets of my life," Cailin confessed, brushing another lock of her hair behind her ear.

Balthazar smirked at her. "It's good to know you feel the same way," he murmured, his forehead now touching hers. He thought about bridging the gap between their lips when he suddenly heard a thump.

Hesitant to break the moment they had but knowing he had to investigate, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek before breaking away from her and grabbing the newly freed book, slamming it against the wall again and wrapping the belt more tightly around it's bindings.

Cailin blushed and thought for a moment Balthazar was going to kiss her. She felt his lips peck her cheek before running off, and she raised her hand to her cheek. "Do you need any help at all?" Cailin asked, fully aware that there was a bright blush covering her cheeks.

Balthazar's previous frown at having been interrupted was replaced by a smile when Cailin spoke to him. "I've got it," he assured her, smacking the book against the wall again for good measure before he set it in a chest and shut the lid. He glanced back at her, he knew the moment they had had was lost for now, but Cailin had the most adorable blush on her cheeks... He shook the thought away. Maybe later. "So do you want to do anything for lunch?" he asked, walking back over towards her.

Cailin watched as Balthazar shut the book away. She pondered his question about lunch for a moment, but then her stomach gurgled. She let out an embarrassed giggle. "I could have some lunch now. What do you have?" she asked. As her stomach gurgled again, she decided to tease Balthazar a bit. "I hope it'll be good. I was supposed to have lunch with this guy yesterday and he ended up running out on me," she said, making an over dramatic face. She was glad lunch was interrupted yesterday though, because if it wasn't, she wouldn't be here with Balthazar right now.

Balthazar smirked at Cailin's teasing. "Well then," he said, looping his arm around her waist as he whisked her towards the door, "we'll have to make up for that today, won't we?" He weaved with her through the piles, opening the door for her the locking it with a wave of his hand.


	8. Chapter 8: A Date in Chinatown

**Hello everyone! I am so incredibly overwhelmed by the response this story has gotten, and every review, follow, and favorite makes my day bright! I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up. I just finished with classes for the semester, so I've been busy with finals, projects, essays, etc, but I'm back now! At least for a few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to churn some more chapters out. **

**I actually almost got rid of this chapter, but there are some points made that I tried to fit into another chapter and it just didn't work quite right. This also leads into a more important scene, so I ended up leaving it in. Hopefully it's not boring or too clichéd! Enjoy!**

**And thank you to Loulou, Tiryn, RikkiBlake777 and the anon, Guest for reviewing, and to everyone who has favorited/favorited Descent! Y'all are the swellest! :)**

Chapter 8: A Date in Chinatown

"How about we try Chinese today?" she asked, as he led her down the stairs of the shop.

"We can try that," he agreed, leading her towards Chinatown. "Do you have any particular place in mind?" He was enjoying the feeling of having her close to him, especially since their earlier moment had been interrupted.

"No, I don't really have a place in mind," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "We could wander a bit and see what looks good, unless you know of a place," she said, looking up at him. Cailin liked being this close to Balthazar and was glad that he didn't mind it.

Balthazar smirked. "Considering how long I've lived here, I might know of a few places." He winked at her, leading her up to a traditional, authentic-looking Chinese restaurant.

They were shown to a table by a kind Asian lady and requested to sit and enjoy the complimentary water until their waitress arrived. She then scurried off, leaving them to their own devices.

"Have you ever been here before?" Balthazar asked, taking his water and sipping it.

Cailin shook her head. "No. My dad didn't really like me traveling too far out of his sight. Being an only child has its downsides. He let me order Chinese to the house though," Cailin replied. She looked down at the menu and then up at Balthazar. "What do you recommend?" she asked, curious to know his answer.

He picked up the menu and glanced at it before saying, "I usually order the cashew chicken, but I've heard the sweet and sour pork is good, as well," he said casually.

Cailin smiled at Balthazar and nodded. "I'll try the cashew chicken then. I like trying new things," she replied. After a moment of slightly-awkward silence, she asked, "So, is this one of your favorite restaurants?"

"It's one of my favorite Chinese restaurants," he replied, setting his menu down. "It's actually fairly authentic. It was originally run by immigrants from China and I think their descendants still run it," he said thoughtfully. After taking another drink of his water, Balthazar then asked, "So is there anything in particular you want to do today? I'm giving Dave the day off for... personal time," he added, smirking to himself. He knew what Dave was spending his free time doing: trying to win that girl he'd been distracted by lately.

Cailin raised an eyebrow at how Balthazar said "personal time." Obviously, Dave had something _he_ considered important to do that Balthazar did not. "Honestly? Not really. I'm fine hanging out at the shop," she replied.

Balthazar nodded. That would make things easier on him at least. He didn't want her to feel cooped up in his shop, but the closer she stayed to him, the safer she was.

The waitress finally came along. "What would you like today?" she asked in perfect English, her accent only slightly Asian in nature. She turned to Balthazar expectantly.

"I'll have the almond chicken and tea, please. Thank you," he said, giving her his menu. The waitress then turned patiently to Cailin.

"I'll have the cashew chicken and tea, please," Cailin responded. She handed the waitress her menu and then turned to Balthazar. "So have you always worked with antiques?" she asked.

"For the past hundred years or so, yes," he said quietly, making sure only she heard the number he spoke. He smiled at her. "It's hard to pass a fake by someone who has lived through the era they're trying to replicate," he said proudly, nodding at the waitress as she served the two their tea as Cailin stifled a small chuckle. "How about you?" he asked, lifting the drink to his lips. "What did you do before you started in real estate?" He tried to put the question as lightly as possible. He didn't want to sour the day by bringing up her father.

Cailin smiled understandingly. "I went to college and lived a pretty much normal life. I was expected to be in real estate from the get go, so I majored in that in college. I also took Italian and fenced. I mean it was always my dad and I. My mom died when I was young, so I had my father and relatives for support," Cailin said before taking a sip of her tea.

Balthazar frowned slightly in concern, reaching across the table to place his hand on hers in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He tried to smile consolingly at her, but it was an odd feeling and he wasn't sure if it came across right. He was all manner of out of sorts in dealing with her situation.

Cailin smiled and patted his hand with her other one. He seemed unsure of how to comfort her, but she appreciated the gesture. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I came to term with things a while ago," she told him.

Balthazar nodded and when the waitress returned with their food, squeezed her hand once before reluctantly sliding his hand from her grip. Their food was set in front of them, the dishes steaming pleasantly before them. Each was given a set of chopsticks then, with a bow, the waitress left.

Balthazar picked up his chopsticks, instantly digging into his chicken. He glanced up at Cailin after she had a bite. "How is it?" he asked.

Cailin regretted having to let go of his hand, but was excited to dig into the food. It was wonderful, and had great flavor. "It's delicious. I love it! How's yours?" she asked before taking another bite of her food.

Balthazar nodded as he swallowed the bite he had taken. "It's good," he complimented, taking a sip of his tea. The dim light of the restaurant gave off a romantic atmosphere that accentuated her soft, natural beauty. A lock of her hair slipped from behind her hair and he longed to whisk it back into place, but he resisted. Later, he thought, as he continued to eat his almond chicken.

Cailin liked this restaurant. It's dim lighting added character to the already interesting space. She took a sip of tea as she looked over at Balthazar. His hair was messy, as it always seemed to be. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle with hidden knowledge and she was curious to know what he knew. Cailin bet that he could tell some pretty amazing stories. "How long do you think the mirror will hold Horvath for?" she asked.

Balthazar swallowed thoughtfully. "Not terribly long. He's probably already out, which is why I wanted to get you away from your home as soon as we could," he explained. "Don't worry, though, as long as you're with me, he can't hurt you, I promise." He looked into her gray speckled eyes. Yes, he would protect her with his life. He couldn't save Josselyn, but he _would_ save her descendant, whatever the cost. He had decided that the moment she got involved.

Cailin nodded thoughtfully, but couldn't help the shiver of fear that passed through her. While she understood that Balthazar would protect her, it was still uncomfortable to know that there was a crazy sorcerer on the loose that could possibly want to kill you. "Thank you," she replied, placing her hand on top of his again. Her fingertips tingled pleasantly at the contact.

The scene felt familiar as Balthazar once again flipped his hand in hers, holding her hand gently. He sat there holding her hand contently until the waitress stopped by again to refill their tea, at which point he let her hand go and finished his chicken. He wanted to get back to his store where he knew they would be safe.

Cailin resumed eating her meal, enjoying every last bite of the dish. She had enjoyed the feeling of Balthazar holding her hand. She took another sip of her tea and finished off the rest of her meal. "That was amazing. I think I have a new favorite restaurant," she said, looking over at Balthazar.

The sorcerer smiled at her as the waitress gave him the check. He placed a few bills on the table, then stood, walking over to the over side to slide Cailin's chair out for her. "Shall we head back, now?" he said lowly, a smile twinkling in his water-blue eyes.

Cailin stood up and nodded, walking with him towards the door. Chinatown was new to her, and she reveled in its unique style. Her father hadn't liked her adventuring too far away from home; since his passing, she had certainly had her fair share of adventure.

As they walked out of the restaurant, Balthazar grabbed two fortune cookies, slipping them into his pocket as he left. When they reached the street, Balthazar, feeling particularly bold with the success of their pseudo lunch date, offered his arm out to Cailin. "Would you do me the honor of allowing me to accompany you home?" he said royally, a teasing glint in his eye.

Cailin smiled back at him, taking his arm. "Gladly good sir. I'd love it if you accompanied me home," she replied, teasing him right back. The sun was out and it was nice to see people out and about living life normally. However, she didn't regret getting involved in this adventure. She glanced at Balthazar out of the corner of her eye. He seemed happy and that made her even happier.


End file.
